Veiled Recollections
by SilverNightRain08
Summary: "Something is telling me she's in love with me." ... "IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME YOU FIGURED IT OUT!" DanteXOC Contains much fluff. You've been warned.
1. Here then Gone

**I decided to give my chapters a good revising and editing. So, if you're reading, I very much hope you enjoy this! Thank you all so much!  
Now enjoy =]**

_But surely, Sparda could help!_

"Mother? Mother!"

_He would if he could, angel._

Heat, fire, shouts. Not even shouts, they sounded too inhuman to be categorized as shouts.

Bays…that's what they were.

They were baying like wild animals…

"MOTHER!"

_Why can't he help now? _

Desperate, the young woman jumped down the marble staircase, the hem of her dress tearing under her foot.

"Mama…Mom…Mother…" she whimpered, tears spilling from her eyes as she reached the end of the corridor.

She skidding to a brief stop then proceeding down the elaborate hallway. Smoke had begun to creep through the windows, her lungs beginning to burn the more she breathed.

_Where is she? Mother! Please, whatever God can hear me…_

"Mother! Where are you?"

_…let her be alive…let me find her alive!_

There was a whistling and then an explosion. Debris blasted through the air and the woman covered her face. Smoke stung her eyes and she felt fresh cuts on her face, but she didn't care.

"Mother!" she gagged, spinning around frantically, "Mother! Where are you! MOTHER!"

_Please be alive! Please be alive…please…_

As if answering her prayer, her mother called out,

"I'm here, my daughter."

Whipping around, the daughter sprinted back towards the mahogany door, ripping it open.

"Mother, we have to leave! Come on, we can go—"

"My angel, you know that it will do no good. Do you really want to look like a coward?"

"Of course not! But I—"

"Angel, it is no use. Nothing can be done to stop this. I know what I foresaw—''

"Let me fight!" her daughter bemoaned desperately, "I can fight! You know I can! Let me assist our knights…let me defend you and our castle!"

The queen could only smile at her courageous daughter, her long, slender hand pushing back a silky curl behind her daughter's ear.

"You know you're not strong enough to defeat what's out there…"

"Let me use Father's sword! I know it'll help—!"

The queen stood, silencing her daughter, her emerald green dress cascading around her ankles as she strode over to the wide window, her eyes surveying the charging knights.

_There is nothing else we can do…but we will not lose without a fight._

Her men stood ready, prepared for battle, and the queen closed her eyes as battle cries rang through the air. The princess tensed as there was a whistling noise and an ear shattering crash, the queen wincing.

"There is no hope for me…but, you can escape though…" the majesty whispered, two tears rolling down her rosy cheeks, and the blood red sun making her auburn hair shine.

"Mother…"

"You have to escape…you _will_ escape…go…now!" the queen exclaimed, her arms wrapping around her stunned daughter, "these creatures attacking us are not ones we are familiar with! You must leave…you can't fight them!"

"_I'm not leaving you_!" The princess clasped her mother and resisted being pushed away.

"You have to," the queen whispered, "you have to leave_ now. _You'll return one day though. You'll come back and you'll know what to do."

"But Mother-!" the princess cried as her only parent pushed her towards the door.

"You must go! Go now!"

There was a trickling sound and the queen's breath stopped.

_It can't be-!_

Pausing for a moment, the princess caught glance of the green vines twisting into the window. Her mouth dropped open as she resisted her mother's pushing her out of the room.

"_MOTHER!"_

"Run! Run and don't stop until you are far away from here!" Tears poured from the mother's eyes and the princess resisted one last time.

"If you have any loyalty to me or your country, you'll do as I say! Go! Now!"

The princess let out a cry as the mahogany door was slammed shut in front of her.

"NO!" she pounded on the door.

There was more slithering and she pressed her ear against the door, attempting to open it. A second explosion jolted her and debris impregnated the elegant hall in dust, blood and gunpowder. Still, she attempted to claw her way back into the room, where her mother faced the gruesome death she had foreseen herself die countless times.

"I'll drag you straight to Hell," the princess heard her mother hiss.

There was a sickening crack of bones, the queen's last cry suppressed by her own will and the princess fell back as the splatter of blood sounded. Scarlet blood trickled beneath the door, the princess's eyes widening in horror. Screams were strangled in her throat and she tried not to sob.

Outside, fire filled the air and the princess could feel the scorch of the flames. Lightheaded and lungs burning, the princess reluctantly fled from the scene, tears flooding down her face.

_You'll return one day…_

The storm of metal boots almost deafened the defenseless princess, shadows of shapeless, unfamiliar demons morphed onto the walls. Ducking behind a drapery, the princess remained still, holding her breath as the demons passed. She bit her lower lip to keep from crying out, the forms straight out of a childhood nightmare.

"Find the princess," one voice commanded.

So inhuman…demonic…cold…

_Sparda, where are you? Sparda…please help!_

The princess carefully felt behind her to grip the passageway's handle. Slowly, she slid the door open as the three demons—barely four feet in front of her—bickered and strategized, hopefully none of them sensing her pounding heart.

"Princess," one of them beckoned in a low, silky voice. "Come here, princess."

_Run._

"Princess," the head slowly turned toward the drapery and the princess felt her body freeze.

_Open…come on…_

The passageway slid open and the woman slipped inside just enough to spare herself the horror of looking into the petrifying red eyes.

Heart pounding and door locked best to her ability, the princess removed her heeled shoes and sprinted down the passage, daring not to look back. She heard the pounding of hooves and roars of anticipation, cries escaping her throat in gasping sounds.

She ran for what seemed hours, glancing back into the raging darkness, running underneath the battleground where her own defenders were being brutally murdered. Men hollered and monsters screeched. Fire scorched and angels fell. Heroes vomited blood and were left behind in pieces as her castle was burned.

She stumbled countless times, hitting her head against the stone walls and floor numerous times. Dazed but refusing to give up, the princess struggled to the end doorway, having no idea where she would be next. Pushing it open, the princess slipped once more, falling into a rain puddle and felt blood drip onto her hand. She felt her head, feeling multiple scrapes and cuts, her body burned and bruised.

_Don't look back…keep going…_

Gasping and lost, the princess wandered for what seemed miles into an unfamiliar forest. She hugged herself, lost, alone and desperate.

Everything was gone.

She had nowhere to run…nowhere to hide.

"Mother…"

The world turned black, her memory failing her as to where she was or what she was told to do. She dropped to her knees, lungs begging for oxygen, the world disappearing before her eyes.

**Hours Later…**

The doorbell rang. At this hour, that was strange, especially for Trish, unless of course, Dante or Lady needed her for something. Even so, their stopping by at this hour was sort of out of character. They never came by this late…even if it was an emergency.

Despite this, Trish forfeited her rare spell of sleep to answer her door.

"Yes?"

She answered, peering out into the misty rain and saw no one.

_Odd, _she thought before closing the door, but she then stopped.

"What the-? Hey! Are you alright!"

Trish stepped outside, picking up a young woman laying unconscious on the concrete.

"How in the world did you get here?" Trish wondered aloud, but the lady remained motionless.

Trish observed out into the road, but it was deserted.

___What in the world is going on?_

**Let me know what you think. I love feedback. HeeHee! I hope you liked it and I'll work to get more up in a timely fashion! Thank you so much!**


	2. Silence and Strawberries

**Chapter two. :3 Hope ya like it! ^-^  
**

The sudden monsoon pounded against the roof of the Devil May Cry office as Dante leaned back in his desk chair, the two front feet off the hardwood floor, magazine over his face and sound asleep. Patty Lowell scowled to herself, fiddling with the antenna of the frozen television, attempting in vain to get the screen to continue playing her episode of her favorite romance show. The screen squiggled, the picture becoming boxy-looking and then resuming with the show. The blond sighed with relief, snuggling up with her giant teddy bear and settling against the back of the couch, smiling contently. No sooner had she gotten comfortable, the doors of the office burst open with an ear splitting KA-BANG, Patty jumping up from the couch, shrieking in surprise.

"What the hell," Dante murmured sleepily, feeling indifferent to the sudden kicking open of his office doors.

"We have an issue," Lady said and Dante lifted the magazine off his face.

"Alright...?"

Trish stepped inside, a young woman close to Dante's age in her arms. Dante cocked his eyebrows, lowering the chair back down to the floor and swinging his feet off his desk.

"Who is she?" he asked and Lady shrugged.

"No idea...these two complete strangers showed up at Trish's door all "You have to help her!" and the second this girl was in Trish's arms, they bailed," Lady explained and Trish walked the unidentifiable girl over to the couch, Patty moving her stuffed animals out of the way and allowing the stranger to lay peacefully in their place.

"So, what are we going to do?" Dante asked, studying the unconscious brunette sleeping on the couch.

"Well, I want to know who her two companions are. There's no way people can just leave someone at some stranger's door," Trish muttered and pushed aside a wet curl from the girl's face. Patty studied the sleeping woman, her blue eyes brimming with questions.

"Again...where are we going to let her stay?" Dante repeated and relaxed his hands behind his head.

"She's going to stay here of course," Lady said as if the answer were more obvious than Dante's obsession with olive-free pizza.

"SAY WHAT?!" he cried, pouncing to his feet and Lady crossed her arms, her red and blue eyes glowering at the white haired man.

"She's staying here."

"Why?!"

"By the way, after inspecting the injury she got, I doubt she's going to remember anything from her past," Trish said quietly, seeming slightly worried and Dante growled.

"So you're making me babysit some girl that's going to wake up not knowing who the hell she is or where she came from?!"

"Yeah, that's another way of putting it," Lady answered with a shrug and Dante sweat dropped.

"To hell with _that_."

"Ooooh, come on Dante!" Patty piped up, "she's got nowhere else to go. Please, can we keep her?"

"This is a _human_, Patty, not a stray cat," he grumbled and Trish blew back her bangs.

"You have no heart. This girl needs someone to care for her and is desperate for a place to call home...and yet...you remain insensitive to her cause," the blond demon sighed.

"You suck at guilt trips, Trish."

"Think of it this way, Dante," Lady closed her eyes and tightened her arms across her chest, "the longer she stays with you, the less you owe me. I'll take it out of your debt to me, how's that?"

Dante had to pause to think about this. He had to consider both sides...first being his immense debt that was so far out of control not even In Charge Debt Solution could help him recover, so, the fact his solution to at least relieve some of his finance issues was lying right in front of him did make him consider taking this fourth female presence under his wing...however...what were the risks? Taking in a total stranger with open arms had gained the reputation of a reckless idea...this girl could have a legion of demons following her...(not that Dante could slaughter them with one hand tied behind his back but still...) or something even more threatening...a possessive boyfriend...

"Fine," the demon hunter sighed after a moment of silence, "I'll let her stay here."

"Good," Lady smiled. _The debt bribe never fails._

_Damn it...I got conned_ again_..._Dante thought bitterly, his bangs hanging over his blue eyes.

"Well, on that note, thanks Dante and we'll come see her tomorrow. Night guys," Trish bade before her partner could change his mind and the two friends scurried out of the office and back into the downpour. Dante exhaled sharply, sitting back down in his chair and flopping the magazine back over his closed eyes, feet crossing on his desk.

"So...what are we going to call her...since she doesn't have a name?" Patty asked and Dante folded his hands behind his head.

"Whatever. Makes no difference to me," he yawned and Patty stuck her tongue out at him.

"Rosangelo then," she said, "or Rose...Rosie..."

"Okay I get it," Dante sighed and the blond aristocrat smiled despite her friend's bad humor.

_He'll warm up to her_, Patty assured herself optimistically and gave the motionless Rose a pat on the head.

The T.V. froze again, making Patty return her full attention to the motionless screen before it twitched then shut off completely.

"Ahhh! Dante...you gotta fix the T.V.!"

**The Next Morning...**

"Dante! Dante! Dante!" Patty cried and sprinted down the steps, the demon hunter jerking awake and almost tipping over from his chair and onto the floor.

"For Christ's sake, what?" he muttered, the magazine dropping from his face and his blue eyes resting on the empty couch. "Shit..."

"Rosie's gone!" Patty exclaimed and Dante grabbed his red trench coat, swishing it around to pull it over his shoulders.

"Let's go," he ordered and his small companion followed him out of the glum office and out into the sunlight.

**In the Park...**

She didn't know how she had gotten there or who the people were, but all the princess knew was she was able to function perfectly, the only limits being she couldn't speak and she had no memory of anything that had happened before she had awaken only an hour ago. She studied her light brown curls that fell to the middle of her back and she lifted her hands up to eyes, rotating her wrists around, staring at them curiously as if the answer to her millions of questions would appear on the back of her lightly tanned palms.

_Who am I? Where am I and how did I get here? I don't even know my own name...I can't remember when I was born or where I came from...I can't remember any family I might have had...I just woke up in some strange office that smelled strongly of pizza...no memories of my past...I can barely remember my own name...am I even human?_

The sun was warm and comforting to her as her sparkling, hazel eyes gazed at the morning glories stretching out their white petals and she felt a smile creep across her face. Her legs were crossed in front of her, wrists over one other as well, her brown curls swaying in the breeze. The surrounding park goers cast few glances at her, not paying much heed to the young woman admiring the blossoming flowers in the park, smiling with the innocence of a child, and she uncrossed her legs, straightening her back and tilting back her head, allowing the sunlight to warm her face.

_I wonder...how did I come to be here?  
_

"Rose!"

She opened her eyes at the distant voice and the lost princess perked her ears, the voice seeming familiar.

"Rosie-chan!"

The sweet voice was getting closer and the brunette wondered if it was calling to her, turning around curiously to see a blond youth jogging towards her.

"Rose-chan! I found you," the girl said and the brunette remained speechless, her voice refusing to come forth. The child tilted her head and the woman stared back at her with a hazel gaze as if to ask, "Who are you?"

_I think I heard her talking last night...I thought I heard some people talking when I began to come around then fell asleep...what was her name...? Trish maybe? _

"Oh, is it alright if I call you Rosangelo? Or Rose or Rosie for short?" the youth asked and her companion shrugged her shoulders.

_Well, I sure as hell don't remember my name. Even if I did, I couldn't tell her because I can't talk...nor do I have a pen and paper handy..._

"Okay! I'm Patty by the way...and Dante is around here somewhere," Patty said and her blue eyes searched the grounds. Her lips pursed and she seemed irritated at the fact this "Dante" was nowhere to be found. Again.

"This is the third time in a half hour he's disappeared like this..." Patty exasperated and Rose patted her gold curls, a look of sympathy on her face."Come on Rosie, let's go find him."

Patty took the soft hand in hers and pulled the brunette to her feet, tugging her along the side walk in a (third) quest for Dante. Now, as most who might know Dante Sparda like the back of their foot, (Trish and Lady) the first place one (Trish and Lady) would go, is a pizza place. Unfortunately for Patty, it took five pizza places and then finally an ice cream parlor to ferret out the white haired demon hunter poking a ruby red strawberry in his trade mark sundae. Patty lightly bit the tip of her tongue, irked to from the point of her well polished black shoes to the ends of her curly pony tail as she stalked up to him, Rose following her.

"Really Dante? Rose is missing and then you can sit down and eat a sundae?" Patty sighed, wiggling her way into the seat across from him, Rose sliding in beside her, the hazel eyes studying the man across from her and hands folded underneath her chin.

"You guys want one all you have to do is ask," Dante sighed and Rose blinked.

"Hey, Dante," a waitress called from the other side of the diner, the purring of roller skates approaching. Rose lifted her eyes to the waitress, sliding her gaze down to her chest, a shiny name tag reading "Cindy". "Did you guys want a strawberry sundae?"

Rose nodded with a smile.

"Sure, I'd love one," Patty chirped and Cindy skated behind the bar, returning seconds later with a sundae in each of her slender hands.

"Here you are!" she sang and Rose dipped her spoon into the pink treat. "So, is she your girlfriend, Dante?" Cindy added, gesturing to the brunette and Rose cocked her eyebrows, spoon hanging from her mouth.

"No," Dante answered monotonically, "we just met."

"Oh, well, she's cute," Cindy continued and both Rose and Dante shifted uncomfortably.

_She's talking about me as if I'm not here..._

"It was nice meeting you," Cindy concluded as another customer strode inside the small diner and Rose gave her a smile.

_But she seems friendly._

"Bye Dante," the waitress waved and then skated over to the door to seat the new arrival.

Rose felt another smile spread across her face as she spooned another spoonful of the icecream into her mouth and Dante rested his elbow back against the back of the booth, studying the two girls in front of him. Patty continued to gulp down her icecream happily, lost in her own little world but Rose sensed his gaze, peering up at him with her hazel eyes through her brown bangs. Her spoon was poised over her lower lip, her eyes seeming to quiz him, wondering what he was about to say, but when he just stared at her blankly, she only smiled innocently.

"You smile a lot," Dante said to her and Rose tilted her head as if asking 'Is that a bad thing?'.

"She's happy, aren't you Rosie?" Patty chirped, the hazel orbs turning to her and the woman nodded, still smiling for some reason beyond Dante.

"Does she even know who we are? We could have kidnapped her for all she knows," the hunter sighed and Rose blinked, her eyes half closing as if to say, "Oh give me a _break_."

"She knows our names though, I'm Patty and he's Dante," the blond introduced and pointed her spoon at her white haired guardian. Rose nodded, slipping her own silverware into her sundae and nibbling on a strawberry.

"So, are you two done?" Dante asked, leaning back in the booth and Rose's eyes traveled from his finished sundae to her own, which she was barely half done with. The brunette sweat dropped and Dante's forefinger tapped the table, not impatiently, as he seemed to stare off into space.

_How do men eat so fast? _Rose wondered to herself, and pushed her sundae towards her companion. Dante noted her then swayed his hand, offering the sundae away.

"You can eat it or take it with you if you want to leave."

"Hey, Rosie, why don't we take her shopping?" Patty exclaimed and Dante's blue eyes widened.

"I'm in enough debt--"

"But Rosie needs some clothes," Patty pointed out and Dante blew back his bangs.

"Good point but--"

Rose nudged her blond friend and shook her head but Patty continued to insist.

"Really Dante, unless you want her to walk around nak--"

"Alright," Dante cut her off, not wanting her to shout the statement to the whole diner, "we can go now."

Rose felt herself blush furiously and Dante sighed, crossing his arms on the table. Rose tilted her head and began to slide out of the booth, Patty following suit, Dante not moving.

_Poor guy...a bit literally too..._Rose thought to herself and then poked him in the side to signal they were leaving. Dante stood with a sigh, Rose following Patty to the door, sundae still in her hand and Dante pulled the door open, the three of them exiting.

_This girl could take some getting used to, _Dante esteemed to himself as he followed the two girls down the street to the thrift store.

**I know...it's slow. I promise some demon slaughtering and stuff in the next chapter. Maybe a review or 2 in the mean time? :) **


	3. Hime

**Thank you Lady_Colt, NerdzRmyHomiez, SanTahaki, Secretofserenity and Cef Havoc for the favorites and reviews! :)**

"You guys sure take forever to shop," Dante sighed as he leaned against the door frame of the lady's changing room. Patty uttered a small grunt of effort as she tossed obnoxiously puffy dresses over the top of the door, Dante sweat dropping at the fact he'd have to deal with another woman obsessed with pink and frilly objects.

_What the hell is Patty trying to do to me? _Rose thought, terryfied, when she saw the ball gowns being shoved over the door. The princess fingered them then retracted her hand back with a shudder, grateful for Dante finding a simple pair of jeans and a tank top. _I'm good with just these...if I'm in here anymore I'll go nuts..._

Rose pushed the dresses back over to Patty, knowing the child had caught them when the muffled sound of her small body hitting the ground and the rustle of gowns sounded in the brunette's ears.

_Sorry Patty..._

Rose draped two more pairs of jeans and several tank tops and t-shirts over her arm before stepping out of the confinded area, Dante's eyes meeting hers.

_Wow...she looks...sexy...wait what the hell? I just met this girl! _Dante bit his tongue, irritated with himself, and Rose tilted her head, dressed in skinny jeans, a blank cami and a dark green, almost black, trench coat similar to Dante's.

"That looks cute, Rosie-chan!" Patty appluaded when she had popped back out of the abyss of fabric. Rose smiled brightly, her eyes closing, and Patty stood, the puffy dresses in her arms and struggled to hang them back up on the metal bar, Rose assissting her.

"All done, Dante," the blond chirped and the silent brunette shrugged her shoulders as if saying, "Yup, we're done."

"Finally. Let's go," Dante urged and Rose followed him to the cash register, Patty following them.

"So, you didn't like the dresses, Rosie-chan?" Patty asked as Dante took the jeans and tank tops from Rose's arms. Rose shook her head violently, Dante seeing the gesture out of the corner of his eye and hid a smirk.

"You're not one for pink frills and bows?" he inquired and Rose wrinkled her nose, looking disgusted. Dante cleared his throat in order to extinguish the burst of laughter stirring in his throat. Patty's blue eyes met Rose's hazel, seeming disappointed and somewhat surprised, but Rose only smiled and rubbed the girl's head, not wanting to offend her. Gatering the two full bags in his hands, Dante turned back to his two female companions.

"Come on you two, enough with the girly talk. Let's go home," he mumbled and they followed him, Rose offering to take one bag off his hands. Smiling gratefully, (to no one's surprise) Rose followed beside Dante, her hazel eyes observing her new surroundings and Patty skipped next to her, her blond curls bouncing around her shoulders.

"So, do you not talk or something?" Dante asked the light hearted brunette and she focused her large, innocent eyes on him. "Can't you talk?"

Rose didn't reply, her eyebrows tilting and Dante sighed.

"We don't even know your real name or who you are...and you won't even tell us."

She shrugged, her eyes drifting away from his, and Dante stress marked.

"Seriously? You can't talk?"

Rose didn't answer in anyway, as if she didn't hear the questions and a breeze ruffled back her light, brown curls as the three of them walked, Patty not seeming to hear the one sided conversation.

"Really? Are you just doing this to be annoying?" Dante ranted, Rose sighing and her shoulders drooping.

_He's annoying..._

"Answer me! Honestly! This isn't amusing!"

_Someone shut this guy up..._

"ROSE!"

_Oh my God...SHUT UP!_

Finally giving into her annoyed feelings, Rose faced Dante and hit him over the head, her hand connecting with the side of his head and Dante immeditatly shut his mouth.

"What was that for?"

Rose glared at him, irked, and then proceeded in walking alongside Patty, who remained oblivious to Dante being pwned by a silent woman they both had just met.

_Sorry but you deserved it, Dante-sama._

Rubbing the side of his stinging head, Dante grumbled something incoherently and Rose ignored him, the three of them turning down an alley to get back to the Devil May Cry office. Patty was singing next to the princess, Dante being a few steps behind them both (for fear of being hit over the head again) and Rose felt her heart jolt, her senses perking.

_That scent..._

Rose's fists curled into tight balls, the wind billowing back her coat and hair, her eyes widening and her legs ceased walking.

_Red splatters...screams...the scorching heat of fire and pounding of hooves against dry grass..._

"Rosie-chan, are you alright?" Patty asked and wandered over to her friend, placing a warm hand on the woman's arm. Rose didn't respond, her irises trembling and beads of sweat clung to her cheeks, her hazel eyes wide.

"Rose--?" Dante tried, then sensed the fourth prescence as well.

_Demons, _he thought and yanked out Ivory and Ebony as soon as there was a demonic screech and tree trunk thick, green tenticles shot forward, barley missing Dante's body. Rose whipped around, the tenticle colliding with her, knocking her backwards into a the opposite wall.

_What the--? _she thought, gritting her teeth and she heard Patty scream in pure terror. Rose opened her eyes, trembling from head to toe as she eyed the vine-like arm wrapped all the way around her waist, pinning her to the wall. The echo of gunshots sounded and Rose noticed Dante spring into the air, his two .45 calibers firing endlessly as he flipped through the air.

_Dante-sama! _

Three of the demon's arms were whip-lashing through the air, Dante shooting at them as Patty shrieked for them both. Rose felt her heart almost stop when she saw grotesque head of the demon turn, it's eight, red, spider looking eyes gleaming at the sight of her. It's toad-like body faced her, the mouth smiling like a possessed clown, the yellow fangs dripping with both siliva and blood.

"H-hime-san..." it croaked, Rose feeling her whole body go numb, "heh--hime--!"

Dante ceased fire, dropping in front of Rose, his guns crossed over one another and the brunette felt a second vine-arm begin to wrap around her body.

_Hime...? What...? _Dante glanced back at the trapped brunette out of the corner of his eye but she looked just as confused as he was.

"Rosie-chan!"

_Being dragged away...blood..._

"Ale--Alex--hime-sama--" the demon croaked out again, Rose only staring in disbelief.

"Rose!" Dante yelled and fired his calibars, the demon screaming out in agony as bullets ripped through the tissues of its eyes. It stumbled back, half as tall as the building behind it, and twice as wide. Rose felt herself being flung through the air, Patty hearing her shriek in total fear and she grabbed the handle of Dante's sword.

_Shit..._she cursed as the demon kept holding on tight to her and she soared through the air, Dante's sword in her hand, barley missing being crushed against broken bricks and shattered glass. _If I could just get myself free here..._Rose swung the blade above her head, her elbows bending and she plunged the sword forward, slicing through the arm holding onto her. Now, this would have been smart had she been only a few feet off the ground, but at the moment, she was dangling about one hundred feet off the stone pavment.

_Well, that wasn't very bright, _she scolded herself as the demon's roar almsot split her eardrums and she looked down then sweat dropped_. I curse gravity..._

Rose pummelted towards the ground, her hand still choking the handle of the sword and Rose swung it once more, forcing through the leathery flesh. The demon screeched, blood spraying across her face and body, her hands slipping from the handle and she gasped.

_I hope Dante-sama can catch...!_

"ROSE!" Patty cried and Dante looked up, his jaw dropping and he automatically let go of Ivory and Ebony, his arms spreading out, ready to catch Rose. She landed bridal style in his arms, her momentum still carrying Dante down with her and they crashed to the ground, Rose landing on top of him, her brown hair spilled about his face. Dante's arms were locked around her waist and he opened his eyes, seeing the green demon sway then fall sideways, crashing into the building beside it and then moving no more. Dante groaned, attempting to sit up but Rose was motionless and on top of him.

"Rose," Dante said, poking her in the back but she was still, Patty running over to them.

"Rosie-chan!" she cried, "Rosie-chan!"

The brunette exhaled, her head throbbing and she lifted her hand to her aching forehead before opening her eyes and sitting up.

"Rose! Are you alright?" Patty spazzed and she focused her hazel eyes on her. There was a pause and then she smiled brightly, as if the whole fight hadn't even happened.

"It figures she smiles like a Cheshire Cat," Dante grumbled, his arms still around her waist and Rose's eyes met his. Another smile flickered across her face and Dante sweat dropped as he felt Rose's arms wrap him in a hug and Patty sighed passionatly.

"That's so cute!" she squealed and Dante cocked his eyebrows.

_I swear...I'll go insane if every day is like this..._he thought, his white bangs hanging in his eyes as Patty continued to rant about how cute the hug Rose was giving Dante was. _Yeah...this may take some getting used to..._

**A week later...**

_Are pizzas and strawberry sundaes all Dante-sama eats? _Rose wondered to herself as she scraped off dried pizza cheese from a white plate. She hummed to herself, finishing up the dish washing with the rinsing of a bowl and she dried it off before setting back in the cupboard. _I'll have to go grocery shopping and buy some parfaiets or something...it's rather unhealthy to have a diet consisting of only two foods..._

A week had passed by since she had woken up in Dante's office, and since the day he had saved her from the demon, Rose had decided to be an assitant to him. She had taken the role of a house keeper when Dante was away or just lazing around his office and so far, she had come to like both Dante and Patty very much. Sure, dante was rather lazy but Rose didn't mind since she felt indebted to him for allowing to stay with him and Patty was the sweetest girl Rose had ever met. She'd invite the wordless, memory-less Rose to watch the romance shows on the static plauged television, the brunette able to fix the screen whenever it would begin to fizzle, and Dante would remain in his desk chair, asleep, with a magazine or the paper over his face.

_They're both so kind, _Rose thought and pulled out a pad of paper and a pen to make a grocery list, _I wonder though...who exactly am I? _

_**....DMC.**_

_"OKAA-SAMA!"_

_Hime..._

_"OKAA-SAMA!"_

_Sickening, green tenticles creeping through the windows and strangling the life out of my mother...and the memories out of me..._

_"ALEXANDRIA!"_

**I'm not sure how long this fan fiction is going to be since the anime is only 12 (epic) episodes...and I've never played the games...however...I think it would be kick ass if I could wrap Vergil in here somehow...any ideas? And I kinda need an idea on how his character is since all I know is he's Dante-sama's twin and my friend only gave me the description of "Vergil is a power hungry d--k!" Therefore, leaving me in a o.O expression. Can anyone enlighten me about Vergil-san? Por favor? Oh, and 3 reviews would be amazing beyond belief. :3 Are you guys liking Rose? :D See ya soon! **

**~SilverNightRain**


	4. Shadow of a Memory

**Thank you Secretofserenity, GaarasMyBoyzz, Bordom Incarnate, devilmaycry1296 and Tacinn for the reviews/subscriptions/favorites and just flat out reading the story! :) Hope you like this next chapter! :3**

"Hey, Patty, Rose went to the grocery store a few minutes ago. I'm going to take a shower and I ordered a sundae that should be here by the time I get out, okay?" Dante said as he climbed the stairs and the blond nodded.

"Alright. I'll tell her," she said, her blue eyes glued to the television screen and Dante cocked his eyebrows.

"Did you hear what I said?"

"Yeah...Rose went to the grocery store and you ordered a sundae. Although, it's amazing how you can afford all this ice cream and yet-"

_SLAM. _The bathroom door slammed shut, cutting her off and Patty whipped her head towards the stairs, startled by the sudden noise.

"Jerk!" Patty yelled and blew a raspberry, annoyed.

_He always does that! One of these days...I'm gonna get him one day! _

Patty huffed a hot breath and crossed her arms across her chest, cheeks puffing out in irritation and the screen began to become fuzzy.

"Aw man!" Patty exasperated as she growled and the screen froze then became boxy. The blond blew back her gold bangs, her face flushing a deep shade of pink as she stood herself up and then made her way towards the door. "DANTE! I'M GOING TO FIND LADY TO FIX THE T.V.!"

There was no answer and Patty rolled her eyes, the pounding of faucet water drowning out the ringing of her high pitched voice. Clicking her tongue with sincere irritation, Patty let the door slam shut behind her as she walked down the sunlit street towards Lady's house.

**Flash to Rose...**

_I wonder why I can't talk...or remember who I am for that matter, _Rose thought to herself as she walked back to Devil May Cry while supporting two grocery bags in her arms_...poor Dante-sama...he's so annoyed with my silent treatment...but it's not like I'm doing this on purpose. Maybe I should see a doctor or something, __but it's so strange...I just wake up one day and I don't have any idea who I am..._

The sun beamed down on her, making her cool skin warm up and her dark green trench coat trailed behind her as she walked, her train of thought fading away as Rose tuned into the near by birds singing overhead. She inhaled deeply, the sweet air filling her lungs, relaxing her and she let her thoughts fizzle, reaching the office after turning around a second corner.

_I hope the memories will return though...not knowing who I am is exceedingly irritating..._

Rose stepped up the concrete stairs, pushing open the wooden barrier to allow herself back inside her home and placed the baggage down on Dante's desk. Her brown ringlets tumbled about her shoulders and her hazel eyes clouded with abyssal rationalizing, her head tilted ever so slightly and her lower lip curled beneath her snow white teeth as she ventured to comprehend her mangled assumptions regarding her shaded past.

_The only traces of my past I can recall before waking up here are brilliant flashes of gold and white light...it's bizarre..._

The thundering of wood colliding against concrete wretched the brunette from her thoughts, Rose whipping around to see the door being kicked open by Patty, who, followed by Lady, pranced over to the pegged television set. Rose observed, her eyebrows bending and Patty propped her head up on her elbows, blowing back her blond bangs.

"Hi Rosie-chan!" she recognized and the amnesic beamed, "Dante left a sundae for you."

"Huh?" Lady perked up, her red and blue eyes studying Patty and her mouth hung half way open, "Dante ordered a sundae for someone other than himself?"

Patty shrugged and Rose blinked, unsure of what to do. She glanced down beside the grocery bag and spied a strawberry sundae sitting next to the brown paper bag, making her tilt her head.

_Well...Dante-sama ordered this for me...that was very sweet of him. _

Rose lightly touched the covered dessert, admiring the ruby fruits decorating the pink ice cream and she picked it up delicately as if it were made of glass. Patty stole a glance at her and then her blue eyes returned to Lady, who struggled to repair the television.

"You know, it's a wonder Dante can pay for all his pizza and icecream but he can't find any money to fix his own appliances," she grumbled, nicking her hand on one of the silver nuts, "damn it."

Rose poked her head back in the room, observing the struggling Lady and frustrated Patty and wandered over to them. With her hand outstretched, Lady lifted her eyes to the silent woman's face, seeing the knowing expression in her hazel eyes.

"You sure you'll know what you're doing?" Lady asked cautiously, the action of handing an electric appliance and a screw driver to someone who couldn't talk or even remember who she was just screaming disaster to her.

Rose nodded her head and Lady cautiously gave the wrench and screw driver to the brunette, she kneeling down and turning to T.V. to where she could see clearly. She was motionless for a minute or two, Lady growing impatient and Patty curious of what Rose was going to do, and then twisted a screw or two and adjusted a wire.

"Is that honestly all the was wrong?" Lady exasperated as Rose set the television upright and bent over the top to double check the repaired screen. Her curls fell over it as Patty settled herself on the couch and Rose gave her a thumbs up before retreating back into the kitchen.

"I feel a bit stupid," Lady muttered and Rose scurried back in with a pad of paper and a pen in her hands. She handed her friend one of the pieces and then disappeared back into the kitchen to put the groceries away.

_When you're a gamer, you tend to pick up a few things, _the note said. Lady couldn't help laughing a little at that.

**In the Kitchen...**

Rose sat at the table, contently nibbling on a strawberry. She crossed her ankles under her chair, humming to herself and toyed with another one of the red fruits, it swaying in the creamy, pink treat, and footsteps sounded on the stairs. Rose turned her head, her innocent eyes watching the door frame and she heard Dante enter the living room.

"Hey, where's my sundae?" he asked Patty and the blond pointed in the kitchen. Dante growled and walked into the kitchen, wiping the shower water from his white hair and Rose gulped.

_Uh-oh..._

Dante opened his pale blue eyes and glanced at Rose, whose face turned bright red. Not only did she have his precious sundae in her clutches, Dante was shirtless and she was liking the upper half of his body a lot more than she should've been. Dante froze, his eyes slowly traveling back to his brown haired companion, the towel dropping from his hand and next to the cuff of his pants. They stared at each other for a minute, Rose's eyes searching up and down his half exposed and very toned body, his eyes on her slender hand, lightly gripping his sundae.

"Rose," he said sternly and the brunette inhaled deeply, taming her thoughts.

_Wish he walked around like _this_ more often..._

Rose's hazel eyes glided from Dante to the sundae and then back to Dante, very slowly. She swallowed the bit of strawberry lingering in her mouth and she looked back down at the ice cream, sighing, rather crestfallen. She set her spoon down and pushed the sundae more towards Dante, leaning back in her chair, her back resting against the blank wall. Her large eyes studied him, the spoon over her lower lip and Dante plated his hands on his hips.

"Well, I don't want it now. You ate off it!" he glowered and Rose's eyes narrowed.

_Really?_

Rose blew her breath out through her mouth, stuck the plastic covering back on the sundae and proceeded in setting it in the freezer. Dante's bare back faced her and he stood at the sink, once again drying his dripping hair. She watched him for a moment, seeing his snow white hair wasn't getting any drier because his towel was already soaked. hesitating for a second, Rose reached out and took the wet towel from Dante's hand and walked out, tossing it into the laundry room in the process, then returned to the kitchen with a warm, dry towel.

"What are you up to now?" Dante asked her and she shrugged then draped it over his head. His blue eyes stared at her and he leaned against the sink, allowing Rose to aid him in drying his hair.

Rose's hands were gentle with him, the warm towel absorbing the cold water in his hair and dripping off his face, and she worked carefully, as if he was made of glass.

"You know, you don't have to be so careful with me," he murmured to her and Rose tilted her head again, her gentle hands pausing. She shrugged her shoulders, a soft smile crossing over on her face and Rose pushed the towel to around the back of his neck. Dante kept his blue eyes on her, his expression softening and he cast his gaze down on the floor, Rose pulling the towel from his neck and dabbing it cautiously across his damp forehead and the side of his face.

"Thanks," Dante muttered and Rose smiled, not saying a word. "You know," he added and Rose cocked her eyebrows, "I'm taking you to a doctor. I can't take the silent treatment anymore."

Rose opened her mouth as if to protest but Dante grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the kitchen.

"I'm taking Rose to the doctor's office to figure out her whole silent treatment ordeal," Dante stated to Lady and Patty, both of them focusing their attention on the two others.

"Dressed like that?" Lady asked and Dante paused with his hand on the door knob. Rose giggled and he turned to see she was holding his coat up and he slipping into it.

"Okay, now let's go," he ordered and Rose followed him out of the office, waving good-bye to her two friends.

**At the Doctor's Office...**

Dante paced around outside in the waiting room, impatiently and grudgingly waiting for Rose or a doctor to come back out. Two hours had passed by without word and Dante watched the sky transform from red, orange, gold and pink to a navy blue, the stars sprinkling across it, sighing heavily then sitting down on a green chair. He took no interest in the out dated sports magazines and an elderly woman eyes him as Dante covered his face with his hands.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, "I saw you weren't allowed in that room."

Dante uncovered his face, his eyes meeting the older woman's and he nodded.

"Yeah...mostly."

"Is she your wife, I'm presuming?"

Dante stared at her, unsure of how to answer. He certainly didn't feel like explaining the whole story, so he just simply answered,

"Yes."

Before the woman could open her mouth to speak again, a doctor dressed from head to toe in white, strode into the waiting room, clip board in his tan hand.

"Dante Sparda? Can you come back with me, please?" he asked and Dante stood, following the doctor back to the check up room. Rose perked up when the door opened and she smiled when she saw Dante, knowing all the boring tests were over.

_I'm saved!_

"Mr. Sparda, I'm going to have to ask you some questions. Please come back here," the doctor instructed casually and Rose's shoulders slumped.

"I'll be right back," Dante assured her, wanting to leave as much as she did.

The doctor lead the demon hunter to another room, a one way window showing Rose sitting patiently on the bed, her eyes gazing at the painted picture of a castle on the wall beside her. Her eyebrows creased and Dante watched her, curious as to what she was doing.

"She seemed to become very serious when I hung that up on the wall," the doctor said and poured two cups of coffee, "she couldn't give me any verbal answers but something clicked with her when she saw it."

Dante cocked his eyebrows, wondering, and then asked,

"What about her inability to talk? Will she be mute for the rest of her life?"

"Well, to be honest, I don't know what's causing that...shock maybe...but she'll be able to talk eventually. She's capable of it."

"So, she's just being quiet to be annoying?"

"No, but I think in her condition right now, curious as it is, her silence is caused by shock or by her own subconscious will."

Dante sighed and the doctor handed him a cup of coffee.

"On that note," he said, sipping his drink, "has she been through anything that would cause this?"

"Not that I've seen," Dante admitted and the doctor studied him.

"She's your wife, isn't she?"

_Damn it...why can't people just assume sister or cousin or something? This is so awkward!_

"Y-yeah, she just went out grocery shopping and then came back...and was like this," Dante lied and his companion eyed him.

"Also, she's been struck by lightning from the test results and suffered severe head trauma. No human would be able to survive the intensity of the wounds she recieved and if they did survive, they wouldn't be nearly in this good of condition."

Dante paused, almost dropping the cup in his hand, and rushed out of the confined area, the doctor not following.

"Dante-?" Rose asked when he re-entered and he grabbed her hand.

"We're going home...I need to talk to you," he said and Rose stumbled after him.

The two of them hurried out of the doctor's office and outside into the calm, cool night, Dante's hand practically crushing Rose's. They turned down into an alley, Rose being totally oblivious to the conversation he and the doctor had, abandoning her in an exceedingly confused state. Dante stopped walking, Rose bumping into him and he whipped around, pushing her up against the building wall.

"Alright, the results were you're able to talk any time you need to but that's not why I'm...like this..." Dante paused and Rose's large eyes filled to the brink with questions. "He also said the injuries you suffered from where ever a mere human could never survive and if they did, they'd be a vegetable. You're not human, are you?"

Rose tilted her eyebrows, then shook her head and Dante fought to not let his jaw drop.

"Then...what are you?"

Rose pondered how to let him know who and what she was without the assistance of her voice and proceeded to gnaw on her lower lip. They paused, Rose staring down at their boots and Dante exasperated, letting his hands drop back down to his sides.

"Fine...explain when you actually have your voice. Don't bother now," he grumbled and began walking again towards his office.

"D-" Rose attempted.

"Don't strain yourself, Rose, let's go home."

"Dan-"

"Rose," Dante instructed and she followed him, hanging her head, feeling irritated with herself. "Did the doctor give you any medicine to help with regaining your voice or something?"

The brunette rummaged in her pocket and pulled out a prescription for Dante to see and then slipped it back into her pocket.

"Dante," Rose said finally and the demon hunter froze in his place. He turned slowly, Rose being a few feet behind him, smiling from ear to ear, hands relaxing behind her head.

_HAHA! I'M BACK!_

"You just-okay then," Dante exhaled and Rose proudly walked by him, her brown curls swaying around her shoulders and back, her smile shining brightly on her face.

The hunter caught up to her, slightly bewildered and they walked in silence, side by side. Rose kept her eyes cast to the side, curiously observing the dark buildings along the moonlit street, and a glare of golden flame caught her eye. Dante continued walking then sensed she was no longer following him and faced her.

"Hey, Rose, what-?"

Rose's entire face was consumed in fascination and a slight remembrance, her eyebrows cocked, head tilted.

"Fire-?" she wondered, lifting her long finger up to the complete mural on the brick wall, Dante striding back up to her.

"Hey, what is it?" he interrogated but Rose didn't answer, her finger tracing over the gold and orange flames in the painting.

"Fire..." she whispered and trailed off, her eyes drinking the colors and style of the mural. The gold, scarlet and orange flames raged through a forest, destroying everything in its path, the once green trees now swallowed with the merciless force of the fire. The castle in the foreground crumbled, charred black, and gold blazes poured from the open windows, doors and broken chunks of the castle, reaching up for the grey sky. Animals scurried about, attempting to avoid being burned to death, Rose's pale finger drawing over the flames of the trees to the castle.

"Okaa...sama...?"

"Hey," Dante intervened and stepping in front of her, taking her hand from the painted wall, "come on, let's go home."

Rose met his eyes, the remembering emotion slowly draining away and she nodded.

"Sorry," she murmured to him and he pulled her away.

"No need to apologize...it's just getting late and you need some sleep," Dante told her softly and Rose followed behind him, her hand still wrapped in his. She studied their intertwining hands for a moment, her cheeks blushing a faint shade of pink, Dante keeping his eyes ahead of them, and then smiled to herself. Her fingers closed over his hand, Dante not noticing right away, and Rose kept a few paces behind him.

_Even if I don't know who I am right away...at least I know I have Dante-sama now...and that I'm so very grateful for..._

_**Roseangelo...**_

_"Alexandria..."_

_"Okaa-sama!" she cried, smiling brightly, ecstatic to see her mother again. _

_"Alexandria, my angel," her mother welcomed her into an embrace, the princess clinging to her mother childishly. _

_"I miss you, so much!" _

_"Why don't you remember me?" the queen asked and Alexandria gazed up at her._

_"What do you mean?" _

_The queen smiled sadly, caressing her daughter's face and battle cries rang in the princess's ears. _

_"Mother?" _

_"I'm sorry, Alexandria," the queen whispered and flames fell, catching onto her mother's body, the princess gasping._

_"No-! No, you can't leave me again! Mother! Don't leave me! MOTHER!" _

_The queen burned, her body degrading into mere ash and Alexandria could do nothing but watch and sob as her mother's body disintergrated in her arms. _

_"B-but I can't live without you! Mother! You can't leave me! Your the only family I have! MOTHER!" _

_No answer...the queen was dead._

**I'm not sure when I want to have Rosie-chan remember her whole past. I just thought I'd throw in some nightmares to add a darker side to the story. :P By the way, what do you guys think of the new name? I searched "Amaranth" once to see how popular the name was (I like my titles to be original) and got like, 3 pages of results. XD Reviews would make Silver very happy. :P Hope you're (so far) liking Rose! I promise much depth to her. ^-^ I like the idea of someone displaying innocence in the story cause both Lady and Trish kick ass already. XD**


	5. Gamer

**Thank you GaarasMyBoyzz and Tsukasa-kun for the reviews and reading the story! Enjoy!**

**One Week Later...**

Rose jerked herself awake, an inaudible shriek escaping her throat and she bolted up in her bed, her eyes wide. Her curls were damp with perspiration and she panted, her hazel eyes wide and tears trickling forth. Rose pulled her knees up to her chest, resting her forehead on them, breathing heavily and she rubbed her temples, aiming to erase the nightmare from her memory.

_The hell? What was that? _

Rose inhaled slowly then exhaled through her mouth and pushed the covers off her, swinging her feet over the edge of her bed. The hallway was dark as she carefully felt her way down the stairs, the moonlight aiding her in finding the kitchen, the time just passing 4 am. Rose switched the kitchen faucet on, filling a glass with the cold water and sipped it down, the coldness of the water calming her.

_It was just a dream,_ she consoled herself as she set the half full glass aside, _just a nightmare...everything is fine..._

Rose placed her cup in the dishwasher then allowed the appliance to click shut and wandered over towards the laundry room.

_I wonder though...would these dreams have anything to do with my past? I mean...that woman I kept calling "mother" looked very familiar...and the fire...I've been in that position before...I think I escaped though...but I was a _princess _in this dream...does that mean...I'm a princess?_

Rose growled to herself, her groggy mind incapable of piecing the puzzle together just yet. She folded a couple of Patty's shirts and hung up a dress, setting Patty's clothes in the laundry basket next to Dante's and tossed her own heap of tank tops and jeans into the dryer.

_But...the last thing I remember is waking up in here...so...if I'm a princess...how the hell did I get here? Not that I don't mind being here...I adore Dante-sama, Lady and Patty...but still...what connection do I have to them?_

Folding one last skirt over her arm, Rose lifted the laundry basket to set it on the washer, making a mental note to put the clothes away later. She rubbed her tired eyes and shuffled over to the couch, turning on the television, keeping the volume very low to refrain from waking Dante or Patty.

"Breaking news: a family of three barely escapes from a sudden house fire..."

_Why is it always fire? _Rose wondered and felt her eyelids begin to droop. The remote slipped from her hand and onto the couch, Rose bending her arm underneath her head and curling up on the soft cushions.

_So much to figure out...I wonder if Dante-sama will have any...answers..._the brunette thought as she drifted back off to sleep, the frantic voices on the television becoming mere gibberish as she fell back asleep.

**Later that Morning...**

"Rosie? Are you okay?" Patty shook the sleeping woman and she groaned, pulling her knees up towards her chest. "Rosie? Wake up! Rosie-chan!"

"Mehh..." Rose groaned and rubbed her eyes with the hand she wasn't laying on. Patty rested her hands on her knees, waiting for the brunette to open her eyes and Rose rolled over on her back, her hazel orbs slowly opening.

"Damn, you sleep like a rock," Dante remarked and Rose turned her head over towards him, her eyes still slightly glazed over with sleep.

"Morning," she said back and sat up carefully, running her hand through her now wild curls.

"Patty's been trying to wake you for the passed ten minutes."

Rose focused her eyes on Patty, who smiled at her and the brunette lowered her hand down to eye level.

"Sorry..." she giggled and Patty rubbed her head.

"No big deal! Are you feeling alright?"

"Yes," Rose replied and stood, adjusting her navy blue and evergreen plaided sweat pants. She spotted her pills sitting on the kitchen counter and dumped one into the palm of her hand, poured a glass of water and swallowed down the yellow pill. Rose shuddered, not liking the sensation of the pill being squeezed into liquid as it slithered down her esophagus.

_Ick._

Dante knocked on the door frame as he entered the kitchen, Rose swiveling her head around to see him.

"Hello," she greeted and Dante blinked, then stood next to her.

"I still have yet to get used to you talking," he remarked and Rose shrugged, directing her attention back out the kitchen window and sipped her water.

"Gradually...getting...better," Rose told him, her voice weak but audible.

"Yeah, it's improving," Dante agreed, "but keep taking those pills...it's only been a week, so, don't be pushing yourself too hard."

"I...won't," she promised and Dante nodded curtly then exited the kitchen.

_Okay...voice is improving...good...still haven't got a clue in the world of who I am though...this might just drive me insane...just might..._

**That Afternoon...**

_Alright...I need a job..._Rose convinced herself after staring at the ceiling for twenty minutes, _I have to pay off my debt some way..._

Rose glanced over at Dante, who was in his usual desk chair, two front feet off the floor, his legs crossed on his desk, magazine over his face and sound asleep. The brunette paused a moment then jumped up off the couch, grabbing her green trench coat in the process.

"Hey, Rosie, where are you going?" Patty asked when she saw her friend departing and Rose tossed her curls over the collar of her coat.

"Going...to find...a job," Rose informed as fast as she could and Patty shook Dante awake.

"Hey-! What gives?" he snapped and the front door slammed shut before the blond could answer.

"Rose! Wait up!" Patty called and Dante set the chair's feet on the ground.

"What is that woman up to now?" he glowered and Patty tugged his shirt sleeve.

"Come on! We gotta follow her! She's on a job hunt!"

Dante paused, his pale blue eyes slowly focusing on the child, a cold stare plastered on his face.

"You woke me up just to tell me that? She's an adult, Patty, she can find a job on her own."

"Not around here! She doesn't know her way around!"

"She's been here for almost a month...if she doesn't have the area memorized by now-"

"She could be attacked by a demon!" Patty spazzed and Dante grabbed his red coat.

"Let's go," he instructed and Patty scurried after him, following Rose.

**In Town...**

"Here...we go," Rose muttered to herself as she studied the red and white HELP WANTED sign hanging in a video game store's window. "Just...what...I want."

Rose waltzed through the door, the air conditioning blowing her hair back and she searched around her, the room consisting of two TVs against the wall, one in the corner behind the desk and a servalence camera looming in the opposite corner. Other than that, the walls were plastered with posters of video game characters from games like Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts and Sonic and, of course, over loaded with games to borrow and buy.

_I'm in Heaven..._

Rose admired the loaded games on display on the already set televisions against the wall and fingered one of the black controllers. She picked it up, hitting the "Start" button and the game began, the television squeaking,

"Mario Kart: WII!" then the theme music followed up.

"I see you're taking an interest in that," a voice observed from beside her and Rose jerked her head towards the desk, seeing a teenage boy no older than nineteen with teasing green eyes behind rectangular glasses leaning over the desk top.

"Yeah...I really...like video games," Rose told him, the weakness in her voice making him tilt his head and one eyebrow rise.

"What's wrong with your voice?" he asked her and Rose blinked.

"What...do you...mean?"

"You pause so much in your sentences."

"Accident...a few...weeks ago," she half lied and the boy shrugged.

"Alright. So, you interested in buying or renting anything today?" he inquired and Rose shook her head.

"No...I'm looking...for a...job actually," she told him, her eyes not leaving the television screen and her cart remaining in first place.

"I see...well, we have applications right here," he said and Rose completed the race, the game flashing the "Continue or Quit" box.

"Thank you...?"

"Dylan Marcetti at your service, doll face," Dylan said and bent the brim of his black baseball cap down over his green eyes, shadowing his the freckles sprinkled across the bridge of his nose and upper section of his pale cheeks. "May I ask who you are, gorgeous?"

"Rose," the brunette answered, taking a small step back and Dylan stood upright, laughing heartily.

"You got a last name to go with that? And there's no need to be on guard so much, geez, you're an uptight chick," Dylan remarked and plated his hands on his skinny hips.

"No...I don't...know my..last name."

"Huh? How can you not know your own last name?" Dylan seemed serious for a moment, staring at the slightly creeped out woman standing before him.

"I...don't know. I-"

"Amnesic or something?"

"I guess."

Dylan curved his forefinger over his lips, one eyebrow raised and his head tilted.

"I see..." he said smoothly and Rose took another step back, "I see..."

"Uh-you going to...give me an...application...Dylan?"

"Oh yeah," Dylan bent over behind the desk and rummaged around, popping back up and his hand reaching out to hand her a glossy piece of white paper. "Here ya go. Just fill it out and come back tomorrow or something."

"Okay, thanks," Rose thanked and smiled.

"Oh, before you leave, you know of anyone that would want a PS2?" Dylan bade before the future employee could walk out.

"No-I...oh," Rose stopped herself, her eyes widening as her eyes feasted upon the shining, black paint of the PS2.

It shone underneath the fluorescent light, perfectly polished and in perfect condition. Rose felt herself become lost in paradise, her eyes drinking up the perfection of the gaming system, absorbing the flawless shape of the Power button and the shapely figure of the controller, the colorful keys painted on top of it. She could see herself sitting comfortably on the couch in Devil May Cry mastering every level with out effort, working into the limited hours of the night, battling furious monsters and dominating in Kart races...defending her honor as the all time champion and overpowering every obsticle in her way...fighting...struggling...for her _life..._she needed that PS2...this may have been her only chance...her only chance to get her paws on such an extraordinary device that would help her achive her destiny...becoming the Final Fantasy AND Mario Kart ultimate champion!

"I'LL DO IT!" Rose exclaimed, a sudden power in her soft voice making Dylan jump a mile backward and into the wall.

"Hell lady, don't need to act as if this is your _destiny_ or something. Christ..."

"But, you don't understand," Rose whispered, her voice suddenly transforming from being weak and feeble to now strong and dominant, "this _is _my destiny." (How in the name of all logic and science Rose's voice suddenly became perfect is beyond me and any med student. I'm just here to inform you what happened).

"You...are a bit strange, Rose," Dylan shook his head and glided his hand over his PS2, "but you can have it...it's 50 bucks."

Waves of despair loomed over Rose's head, her forehead resting on the gaming system and a sudden depression consumed her.

"All is lost...I have...no money," she mourned and Dylan scooted away from her.

"Okay...then you can have it when you get the money," he assured her, afraid of what she was capable of doing if he reached out to touch her head.

"No...I must have it now," Rose hissed and Dylan stepped back. "You can have the money from my pay check when I'm hired...I can pay you back that way."

Rose lifted her head again, her hazel eyes glowing girlishly, and Dylan shrugged.

"Sure, that works," he agreed and Rose beamed.

"Alrighty! Deal!"

"See you then," Dylan bade and Rose wrapped the PS2 in her arms, smiling brightly as she strode back out into the street.

"Yay! This is going to be fun!" Rose gleed and she heard footsteps sprinting up to her. Rose turned around to see Dante and Patty running up towards her, Patty seeming panic stricken.

"Rosie-chan!"

"What?"

"We searched everywhere for you!"

"I was getting a job application," Rose remarked and Dante caught up to them, seeming irritated.

"See? She's fine. Geez, Patty."

"What happened?"

"She was all worried you'd get attacked by a demon or-"

_SNAAAAAAAAAAAAP. CRAAAAACKKKKK._

"ROAR!"

Rose felt a powerful wind blow her forward, her eyes going wide and Patty screamed.

"Well," Rose blinked and looked over her shoulder to see a large, yellow demon with the head of a dragon and three sets of six eyes, "I think this is when we all scatter about and scream like banshees."

"Or," Dante yanked his twin handguns out and crossed them, "you could move so I could kill this pain in the ass."

Rose stepped aside, Dante firing his guns, Patty shrieking nearby and Rose wiped some of the demon's saliva off her shoulder.

"Ew."

"Rose! Come here!" Patty cried and the brunette hurried over to her and gazed up at the demon Dante was single handedly taking on.

"Holy mother of sweet Jesus..."

Dante shot up at the dragon head, it's talons clawing at the air and pavement, tail whip lashing through the air. Dante jumped, Rose watching him as bullet casings rained down, and the crocodile-like arms swung after him, it's lion tail lashing about.

"DANTE-SAMA!" Rose cried as the white haired man landed on the demon's scale covered back and he crossed his guns again, shooting more.

_This is useless! If he stays there he'll be..._

"Stay here Patty!" Rose ordered and dumped the PS2 into the blond's arms.

"WAIT! ROSIE-CHAN!"

"Let the fun begin..." Rose smirked to herself and darted right under the demon's nose.

"ROSE? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? ARE YOU STUPID!" Dante bellowed and Rose slid like a baseball player once the dragon/lion/crocodile demon lunged for her.

"NO!" she called back when she popped back up into view, "JUST EXTREMELY COCKY AND RECKLESS!"

"At least you're honest," Dante muttered and Rose scrambled up onto the scale covered back to him and grabbed his sword.

"Wanna know a trick?" she asked and the head came back towards them, Dante shooting at it, a few bullets hitting the gleaming yellow eye.

"Be fast," he ordered and Rose plunged the blade between the demon's shoulder blades at the base of the neck. It roared and thrashed in pain, the two fighters almost being thrown into the next building.

"Dante, do the honors?" Rose asked, clinging onto the sword and Dante shot Ivory and Ebony, the demon screaming out again and falling on it's knees. The head collapsed to the ground, defeated, and Rose yanked Rebel out of the thick hide.

"You've got one hell of a sword, Dante-sama," she remarked, admiring Rebel's every inch.

"Thanks," he muttered and she handed it back to him before the two of them slid down the side of the demon back to the ground. Rose collected her beloved PS2 back from Patty (who was staring at her in disbelief) and the trio continued on their way.

"Hey, Dante-sama, where'd you get the guns 'n stuff? They're neat."

"Father gave them to me."

"Oh...who's your dad...if you don't mind me asking?"

"Sparda, the Knight," Dante replied and Rose froze in her tracks.

"Wait, _the _Sparda?" she asked, her hazel eyes wide with awe and Dante smirked.

"Yup, the one and only, why?"

"Oh...uhm...no reason, I just wondered," Rose stammered and quickly walked passed him and Patty. Dante stared after her, exchanging a curious look with Patty then shrugged and followed their mysterious friend back home.

_She's one hell of a mystery...I guess that's just something I'll have to get used to..._Dante thought to himself and didn't press any further questions.

**Rose's First Day at Work...The Following Day...mini-filler just for the fun of it!**

"Hey, Dylan! I'm ready for work!" Rose chirped as she burst through the store's back door. Dylan cast his green eyes towards her and set the box full of newly shipped video games on the desk.

"Okay, cool," he said, "you can start by moving that _thing _out there blocking the front door."

Rose sweat dropped, nervously peering outside to see the enormous corpse of the dragon/lion/crocodile demon still lying dormant in the road.

"Umm...we could keep it as an attraction?" she tried.

"Okay, that's a good idea, but how do we go about moving it?" Dylan half demanded and Rose fiddled with her curly ponytail.

"A couple hundred cranes my do the trick..." she murmured and Dylan exhaled sharply.

"I can tell now there isn't going to be a dull moment with you."

_Oh please...you don't know the half of it sweet thing..._Rose mentally accused and rubbed the back of her neck.

"So...what do I do now?"

"Cleaning the saliva off the windows would be wonderful, actually," her employer (who was three years younger than she was...) sang and handed her a cleaning brush and Windex.

"You're joking right?" Rose stared at him and he shook his head.

"Sorry, no," Dylan clicked his tongue and Rose sighed then took the cleaning supplies (and several pairs of rubber gloves) from him.

"Thing I do just to get a PS2..." she grumbled as Dylan began stacking the new video games up on the wall.

**Well...I have no life so I wrote more. :P Hope you liked this! I tried with the witty humor and I hope I didn't over do it! :D 3 reviews=very happy Silver! :D**


	6. Almost in Love

**Thank you GaarasMyBoyzz and lovezero for the reviews and reading the story! Enjoy!**

"Rose, how long do you plan on playing that thing?" Dante grumbled, "you're ruining my nap."

The brunette didn't respond, her knees pulled up to her chest, chin resting on them and arms around them, her thumbs effortlessly working the control keys.

"Rose?"

"As soon as I beat this level..." she responded and Dante let the two front feet of his chair clomp back down the wooden floor before resting his elbow rest on the back.

"You said that two hours ago."

"Well, I mean it this time."

"No you don't."

"You're probably right...ah crap I died again..."

Dante's blue eyes stared at her and she continued playing whichever game it was, not saying a word or even moving.

"What game are you playing?" Dante asked her and she paused it.

"Mario Kart. You wanna play?" Rose held a controller out to him and Dante shook his head.

"I'm good."

"Oh come on, you know you want to."

"No, I really don't."

"The temptation is eating away at you," Rose sang, still holding the controller.

"I'm good...you can play."

"The curiosity is killing you, Dante-sama, don't ignore the nagging voices."

"The only nagging voice I hear is yours."

"Oh come on, just come play. It's fun!"

"You're not going to stop are you?"

"Ten minutes?" Rose pleaded, her voice dropping in volume and her hazel eyes shone.

"Ah shit...you're gonna pull that whole lost puppy look on me, aren't you?" Dante glowered and Rose tilted her head, her eyes seeming pained and begging him.

"Dante-sama...please? Just ten little minutes?" she begged and the demon hunter gritted his teeth.

"No."

"Aww...you're so cruel Dante-sama."

"Your cuteness isn't going to work on me this time."

"When I have ever done something like this? And since when do you think I'm cute?"

"Ah-! I didn't mean it like that!" Dante spazzed, and Rose smirked.

"Well, ten minutes and I'll leave you alone? Just because you think I'm so cute and precious?"

"D-don't get so cocky! I never said that!"

Rose shrugged and proceeded in resuming her race.

"Well, for the record, Dante-sama, I think you're adorable too," she said in a monotonic voice, her face going a deep shade of pink.

They paused, Rose continuing her game and Dante sweat dropped.

_She thinks I'm...adorable? That's new for a woman to say to me..._

"Fine," he snapped and Rose focused on him again, "ten minutes."

Rose beamed while handing him a controller and Dante seated himself next to her on the couch.

**Ten Minutes Later...**

"You beat me again," Dante exasperated and Rose accepted the trophy as Mario, Princess Peach and Yoshi danced on the screen.

"Years of experience, Dante-sama. Wanna play again?"

"..."

"One more time? It's fun," Rose pawed him and Dante sighed.

"Fine. One more time."

**Twenty Minutes Later...**

"Okay, we've been at this for half an hour! And you keep beating me!"

"I'm a gamer, Dante-sama. This is as easy as breathing for me."

Dante flopped back on the couch, glaring up at Rose, who only looked back at him, her face blank and her innocent eyes surveying him.

"One more time? We upgraded," Rose offered after a moment of silence and Dante dropped the controller on his stomach.

"Seriously?"

"Yes."

"Last time. And this time I mean it."

"Okay."

**Twenty MORE minutes later...**

"How does this keep happening?"

"Well, you were in fourth place...that's an improvement."

"No, I mean how you keep conning me into playing more games and kicking my ass every time," Dante tossed the second game controller to Rose and she set it beside her.

"Just admit you like the game and spending time with me," she teased and Dante stood up.

"I'm not going to admit anything."

"It's fun though..."

The phone rang before Dante could respond and he walked over to it, picking it up off the receiver, Rose turning off the PS2 and stretching her arms out.

"Devil May Cry," Dante answered and Rose turned off the TV, straightening out her tank top, wondering what type of assignment he would be given now. That...and what he would destroy in the process of accomplishing the mission.

"Alright...I'll do it," she heard him say and she looked back at him.

"What demon this time?" Rose asked and Dante hung up the phone.

"Something's loose downtown...I'll be back later," he said and swished his red coat around his shoulders.

"Hey! Wait-do you want me to go with-"

"No. Stay here with Patty."

The front door slammed and Rose stood in the middle of the office, the lights flickering and thunder rumbled over the roof.

**Flash to Dante...**

Dante strode through the deserted street, this sword latched to his back and his sharp, blue eyes staring ahead of him, keeping his ears perked for any rustle pr footstep he may hear. The wind moaned and Dante paused, his senses heightening, waiting, watching, for any demon to show its ugly face.

"Come on, I know you're here," he taunted in a harsh whisper and the echo of footsteps sounded behind him. Whipping out Ivory and firing, Dante stared ahead of him into the shadows, the silhouette of Trish approaching closer to him.

"Easy there gunslinger, it's me," she said and Dante lowered his caliber to his side.

"Don't sneak up on me like that," he sighed and Trish shrugged her shoulders.

"I wasn't sneaking up on you, I was coming to see if you needed an extra set of guns."

"Funny," Dante smirked and the two demon hunters continued prowling through the street.

"Strange," Trish remarked after five fruitless minutes of searching, "you'd think the demon would have shown up by now."

Dante stuck his tongue between his teeth, his eyes darkening.

"Then, we let it come to us," he murmured and Trish paused next to him. Dante seemed to freeze in his position, his eyes glaring ahead and guns readied at his sides, and Trish readied herself as well. Her dark blond hair swayed around her knees in the faint breeze and she stole a glance at her partner, who was still in his statue position.

"By the way, before we both begin fighting, I figured out who Rose truly is," Trish remarked and Dante's eyes went slightly wider.

"How the hell did you manage to do that?"

Trish smirked and there was a WHOOSH followed by a roar. Dante aimed Ivory up at the beast lunging for him and Trish, firing endlessly and Trish flipped up in the air, crossing her own twin hand guns and firing. Two more demons lunged at her, blood pouring from the sky as the two hunters shot at them, Dante whipping his sword off his back and letting the blade decapitate a fourth demon.

"I've also come to the conclusion," Trish shouted over the explosions of the guns, "that you like her."

"Of course I like her," Dante hollored back, "otherwise I would have thrown her out into the street!"

"No," Trish shook her head and Dante sliced an opposing demon in half, "I mean, you _like _her."

Dante stole a glance at his partner, his white bangs swaying over his stern eyes and he shot Ebony behind him, another beast screaming out in agony.

"That's ridiculous," he denied and Trish shrugged her shoulders.

"I know you do. I've seen the way you act around her."

"Stalker."

"No. I just happened to see it. You're different around her...she brings out a softer side in you," Trish said and Dante clasped his sword on his back.

"That's ridiculous," he repeated and Trish blew back her honey colored bangs.

"Deny it all you want. You'll realize it eventually," she finalized and she disappeared among the shadows, leaving Dante in a semi-denial state.

**Flash back to Rose...**

"Hey, whatcha up to, Rosie?" Patty asked as the brunette paced about the office with her hands behind her head.

"I'm worried," she whispered and the bond cocked an eyebrow.

"Why?"

"Dante-sama...it's about to storm and he's still out..."

"Ah, that's nothing to worry about," Patty assured her and offered her a seat on the couch, "there could be a tornado and he'd come back in one piece."

Rose ceased pacing about and stood still, her hazel eyes staring out the black window into the drizzeling rain. Thunder growled overhead and the brunette shivered, a flash of lightning piercing through the sky and Rose covered her ears as thunder shrieked.

"Are you okay, Rose? You're shaking all over," Patty worried and scurried over to her friend, "Rosie?"

_Hime...Alexandria...hime..._

_"Okaa-sama!" _

_Sickening crack and blood spraying in every direction...painting the walls and floor with gory symbols..._

_"Alexandria!"_

_Battle cries almost splitting her ear drums...men coming to claim her...to claim her kingdom...her power and her home..._

"Rose! Rosie! Snap out of it! It's just a storm!"

"OKAA-SAMA!" Rose shrieked as Dante walked through the door and Patty rushed up to him.

"Do something Dante!"

"What-?"

"Rosie's going ballistic!"

Dante strode up to the trembling brunette and touched her shoulders, trying to meet her eyes.

"Rose, are you okay? Rose," Dante soothed and her irises trembled, sweat beading at her hairline and clinging to her cheeks.

"Okaa-sama!"

"Rose, listen to me, snap out of it," Dante gave her a small shake and she squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head.

"They're gonna-they're going to-!"

"Who Rose? Come on, it's Dante, calm down!"

"Don't let them-! MOTHER!"

_"ALEXANDRIA! HELP ME!"_

"Rose! I'm right here! Open your eyes! You're fine, Rose," Dante soothed, cupping his hands on her face and the brunette opened her eyes, staring up at him.

_I was...just dreaming again...crap..._

Rose stared at Dante, her face burning bright red, and she bowed her head.

"Sorry...random freak out..." she muttered and Dante ran his hands back down her neck to her shoulders.

"Are you alright?" was his first question and Rose nodded, realizing her hands were gripping the front of Dante's shirt.

"Gomen," she whispered and leaned her forehead against his chest, Patty coming up beside them and stroked Rose's back. Dante wrapped his arms around Rose's waist and comforted her, Rose's body shaking in his arms.

_I'm scared...I'm afraid...these demons that killed my mother...will come after Dante-sama, Patty and me too..._

"Dante-sama," Rose lifted her head off his chest and Dante tilted his head slightly, listening.

"What is it?"

"You-um-you're soaked!" Rose stammered and Dante blinked.

"Well, the rain-"

"You'll catch a cold or something if you stay in these wet clothes!" Rose exclaimed but smiled and pulled away from him, flattening her hands on her hips.

"I'll go shower then-"

"You better so you don't get sick! I'll bring up some warm towel, okay?"

She was beaming and Dante stole a side glance at Patty, who seemed just as concerned as he was but went along with Rose's "cheerful" mood.

"Alright," Dante shrugged and headed upstairs to the bathroom, Rose scurrying into the laundry room to dry the towels. Patty watched after her, not buying the fact Rose was truly in a good mood, rather, the smile was a mask.

"Hey, Rose," Patty stuck her head into the laundry room as Rose folded newly dry towels, "are you sure you're alright? You randomly went crazy and..."

"It's okay, Patty," Rose said as she stood upright, the warm, white towel draped over her pale arm, "I'm fine. I'm sorry...I didn't mean to worry you."

"I know, but Rose-"

"I gotta run this towel up to Dante-sama. Don't worry about me," Rose ruffled Patty's blond hair with a smile as she walked out, "I'm okay. I promise."

Patty didn't argue, knowing she wouldn't be able to convince Rose of anything and the brunette mounted the stairs, the pitter patter of the shower water coming to an end. Rose reached the bathroom door, knocking three times and Dante creaked it open, Rose slipping into the steamy room. He was drying his hair with a damp towel again, dressed only in sweatpants and Rose sighed as she skidded up to him.

"You know, you have a tendency to dry yourself with damp towels," she pointed out and Dante looked over his shoulder at her.

"Are you alright?" he asked and Rose nodded, smiling brightly and Dante leaned against the bathroom wall, unconvinced. "I don't believe you."

"I didn't expect you to," Rose shrugged and slipped over to him, the tiled floor wet with the hot water, "but I am. How long has it been since I've come to live here? A little over a month?"

"I thought it was just barely a month but has it been that long?" Dante asked and Rose rolled her eyes up to the ceiling, calculating.

"No...it's been about a month and a week...give or take a day or two," she grinned and Dante shrugged, sliding down the wall and sitting on the floor. "Dante-sama?"

"Mm?"

"Are you feeling okay? You're not sick or anything are you?" Rose worried, her hazel eyes concerned and she knelt down in front of him.

"No, I'm okay, I'm just tired."

Rose smiled, embarrassed and she sat back on her heels, slicking a brown curl behind her ear.

"Right...fighting demons must be difficult...I was just assuming the worst...eh...heh heh," Rose laughed nervously and Dante surveyed her through his dripping wet, white bangs. Rose met his eyes, blinking, her head tilted and she subconsciously allowed her eyes to slip down to admire his muscular chest and sculpted abs.

_Wow..._was all she could think, her face turning pink as Dante continued to keep his eyes on her girlish face, _he's so...wow..._

"You know, you really need to learn how dry yourself properly," Rose snapped back to reality after her mini train of thought and draped the towel over Dante's head, "it makes me crazy how you attempt to get bone dry with a soaking wet towel, Dante-sama."

The hunter didn't respond, rather allowed Rose's gentle hands wipe away the water in his hair. He kept his eyes down on the floor, Rose inching closer to him to reach better and she massaged the moisture from his hair. His entire body relaxed, his muscles loosening and the soreness he had been feeling only moments previously disappeared as Rose ran the towel down around his neck to pick up the lingering beads of water on his shoulders and neck. She guided the towel across his forehead, making him make eye contact with her again, her hazel eyes bright and a soft smile remained on her cute face as she playfully draped the towel on his head once more.

"There we go, _now _you're dry," she giggled and rested her hands lightly on his hair.

"Thanks for your guidance," Dante remarked sarcastically and Rose bit her lip but resumed her usual sunny smile.

"Dante-sama?" she pushed the towel back just enough so she could make eye contact.

"What is it?"

Rose paused her eyes filling with a sad emotion when Dante looked at her and he blinked.

"Ah-don't cry! Geez, what's the matter?"

Rose gave her head a stiff shake, blinking the irksome tears away and rubbed her eyes.

"Eh...sorry...I was just thinking...well...I wanted to say thank you really, for what you've done for me," Rose told him, "I know I can be pretty high maintenance...so I want you to know I'm very grateful for everything you've done for me."

"It's nothing...really, you do all the house work, so..." Dante started to reply but stopped when he felt Rose resting her head against his.

"I figured you would say something like that," she whispered as if she were on the verge of tears and Dante felt a drop of water drip down onto his hand, "sorry, I'm crying..."

"It's no big deal," Dante muttered and Rose rested one hand on his shoulder and the other on the white towel covering his head.

"I know..." she trailed off and Dante felt either her lips or her chin press against the top of his head and she pulled him in closer, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. He leaned against her chest, his hands lightly gripping the back of her shirt and he held her closer to him, the steady echo of her heart beat calming him.

"Dante-sama..." she whispered and pulled back, one hand on the side of his face and the other resting on his shoulder.

Dante froze but his face remained drained of any emotion as Rose's face crept closer to his. He caught the scent of her delicate lilac conditioner and he saw her eyes close, the soft, exposed skin on her side underneath his fingertips as he glided his hand around to rest on her back. Rose sighed and Dante closed his own eyes, almost feeling the electricity on Rose's lips pressing against his...he wanted her to kiss him...he wanted to kiss her...taste her...feel her body pressing against his...he liked her...he _really _liked her. Rose's body pressed into his and her hands pushed through his hair, her lips barely a centimeter from his...

_Damn it...if I wasn't so shy about this..._

"Dante!" Patty's voice sliced through the atmosphere and the bathroom door swung open, the wood crashing into the wall, making Rose squeak and jump out of Dante's arms.

"Holy-good God Patty-what's wrong?" Rose gasped and the blond studied the two adults sitting on the floor. Dante was glaring at her and Rose was shaking all over from being startled clear out of her skin and the blond stared at them both, her face burning bright red.

"You two were about to kiss weren't you?" she asked in a gravely quiet voice and neither Dante or Rose answered her for a moment.

"You could say that," Dante replied and stood up, shoving his hands in his pockets and Patty hung her head, waves of despair looming over her blond curls.

"Sorry...I'll leave now..."

"No use now. The moment's completely ruined," Dante sighed and Patty stole a glance at Rose, who was in the process of standing back up.

"Well, there are more romantic places to get a kiss rather than a bathroom, Dante," Patty defended herself and the white haired half demon seized the glimmering opportunity to start a tease.

"Like where?"

"Well, a park under the moonlight or while you're dancing to beautiful music (Rose swallowed back a burst of laughter. Dante and ballroom dancing just didn't go together.) or even a romantic hotel room-"

"Now you're talking," Dante smirked and the two girls froze. It took a moment for Patty to register what Dante's underlying message was there and when her little, innocent mind finally wrapped the idea around her head...

"DANTE! YOU PERVERT!"

"What? You're the one that suggested it."

"YOU KNOW I DIDN'T MEAN IT LIKE THAT!"

"Apparently I didn't."

"Either one of you want any dinner?" Rose asked, trying to remain oblivious to the conversation...or at least stay out of it.

Patty growled, her blue eyes glaring at Dante, who walked over to Rose and slink-ed his arm around her waist.

"You're making Rose uncomfortable, Patty," he joked and Patty curled her fists.

"I'm going to bed. You're so annoying Dante," she snapped and Dante glided his lips through Rose's brown curls.

"Do you want me to come tuck you in or something?" Rose offered, oblivious to Dante's gesture and she stepped away from him, towels in her arms.

"No, it's okay. Thank you though Rosie-chan. Good night," Patty told her and skipped off to bed.

"Alright...good night!" Rose smiled and headed towards the door, Dante rather disappointed he didn't get to kiss her. "Dante-sama?"

"Huh?"

"Do you want any dinner?" Rose asked him again and he blinked then rubbed the back of his head.

"Sure."

Rose flickered another smiled and Dante heard her light footsteps descend the stairs and skitter into the kitchen. He sighed, pulling a shirt over his head and following her downstairs as well, leaning against the door frame of the kitchen, the clings and clangs of Rose pulling pans out of cupboards seeming almost rhythmical. Minutes later, the scent of baking dough drifted through the air, a few more minutes passing and the oven beeped, signalling whatever was cooking was finish. Rose pulled the flat pan out of the oven, adding tomato sauce to the golden brown bread, then some onions, pepperoni, green peppers and mushrooms.

"Dante-sama, supper's ready," she called and stuck her head out of the kitchen, catching him leaning against the door frame, the pan in her oven mit covered hands.

"Thanks," he muttered and Rose set it down on his desk, slicing through the pizza with her cutter then sat on the couch and flicked her PS2 on. Dante sat next to her, watching the screen as the brunette guided her character through a haunted castle, battling blood thirsty demons and fierce monsters, Rose's hazel eyes peering over her knees as she pulled them up to her chest.

"You know I was joking when I was teasing Patty, right?" Dante blurted out and Rose giggled softly, her cheeks blushing pink.

"I know."

Dante bit into his pizza slice, pondering what else to say to her, and Rose paused the game, suddenly becoming rather serious.

"Dante-sama, if you don't mind me asking, but who are your parents? And where are they?" she asked and Dante paused, his blue eyes focusing on her through his bangs.

"They're both dead," he told her flatly and Rose's face filled with shock.

"Oh-! Dante-sama-I didn't mean to-"

"No, it's okay. Don't worry about it."

Rose tore her eyes from him, touching her feet back to the hard wood floor and letting the controller drop on her lap. She appeared distant, Dante reaching his hand out to her and touching her shoulder, and she aimed her attention back onto him once again.

"Sorry, Dante-sama...um, I think I'll go to bed now. Good night," she chirped, giving him a sunny smile and Dante let her go.

"Night," he replied and Rose ascended the stairs, Dante hearing the click of her door closing. "Damn it..." he growled to himself and turned the PS2 off, feeling irritated with himself.

**Everyone cool with the RosexDante pairing? (There isn't really other pairing...) :D Reviews please! Tell me whatcha all think! ^-^**


	7. Peppermint

**My extremely grateful thank yous go to: I'm-So-Loveable and GaarasMyBoyz! Also, I have no clue if any of you are reading, but I am going to thank the people that have read/favorited both my Code Geass one shots (Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again and Take Me To Where You Are) and other stories but I failed to thank you here because I haven't given you guys the praise you deserve. So, Thank You (again): Invader Designia, 0lurker0, Inner Yamata No Orochi, cherryblossom440, belllovesedward, DonnieBella, blackcatgurl, tAkuMi aZuKi, GabrielMoon, falcon askael, Crayoncatastrophe, icarus923, Yamiro, Maximum Vampire, Lumilae, yaoifantic92 and Undying Spirit!  
**

"DANTE, YOU'RE SUCH A JERK!" Patty shrieked and sprinted out the door, slamming it behind her and brushing passed Rose as she returned from the grocery store.

"What the-? Patty! Hey! Come back! Patty!"

Rose called after her friend but the blond child didn't turn back around or slow down. Taken aback, Rose wondered what had happened then pushed the front door back open to get inside the office.

"Hey, Dante, what happened?" the brunette inquired and Dante sighed, closing his eyes.

"I mentioned her parents."

Rose cocked her eyebrows, curious and Dante glanced back at her.

"She's an orphan," he told her flatly.

"Oh...right...that makes sense, I suppose," Rose responded quietly. "I guess that makes all three of us, doesn't it, Dante?"

"Yes, yes it does."

Rose bowed her head and then strode into the kitchen. Dante watched her, before kicking his feet up lazily onto his desk once more. The shuffle and patters sounded as Rose filled the cabinets and refrigerator with the purchased groceries, Dante relaxing his hands behind his head and gazing at the ceiling.

_I'm sure she'll come around. If anything, Rose can make her feel better when I can't, _Dante attempted to reassure himself. _She just needs to blow off steam…_

Dante inhaled deeply, somewhat tired but unable to fall asleep. Abandoning the idea of a nap all together, Dante stood and entered the kitchen, where Rose was still putting things away. She didn't notice him leaning against the wall and he observed her as she continued about.

_I wonder what happened to Patty's parents_; Rose wondered to herself and slid a box of cereal into the pantry. _She never talks about them...maybe I should go out and find her. It's getting awfully cold and it's supposed to snow later..._

For just a moment, Rose spared a glance at the calendar hanging on the pantry door.

"Wow..." Rose breathed, "almost six months I've been here."

"Time flies, doesn't it?"

Rose whipped her gaze over to Dante, startled, then smiled after a moment.

"It's just hard to believe I've been here for almost half a year...next week marks it," she repeated and Dante shrugged.

"Yep...six months since Patty and I rescued you from God knows what and somehow managed to keep you around," he joked and Rose laughed lightly.

"I hope you let me stay around a while longer. I love being with you."

Rose blushed slightly and proceeded to quickly occupy herself with placing more groceries in the cupboards.

_Way to act like a little school girl! _Rose scolded herself and heard Dante's footsteps approach her.

"You're pretty nice to have around," Dante told her nonchalantly, clapping a hand on her shoulder. Rose's face flushed despite her efforts to not blush.

"Thank you…"

"Hm?"

"Thank you," Rose told him a bit louder, turning to meet his eyes. "For everything. Thank you."

Dante blinked, only able to manage a slightly awkward, "Yeah, no problem."

Rose smiled, her hands resting on his chest before she rested her head against him.

"Err-?"

_What am I supposed to do? _Dante panicked slightly, unsure of how to respond to Rose's actions.

She stayed like that, her fingers lightly gripping his shirt, head against his chest, and seemed incredibly comfortable. Dante breathed in the faint scent of vanilla, relaxing more with each moment, Rose still not moving.

_You like her. _Trish's half teasing, half knowing words repeated in his memory and Dante felt his face grow slightly warm.

_Maybe I do…but only a little,_ Dante stubbornly thought and found his arms wrapping around Roseangelo's waist. _She's cute, I'll give her that._

He flashed back to the bathroom when she dried him. Her touch was incredibly loving and gentle…and she had almost kissed him. He wanted her to…he _wanted _her to kiss him.

_Just caught up in the moment. _

His arms tightened a little more around Rose, holding her closer.

_I kind of like this…kind of._

Something felt right when she was with him.

_You _like _her._

Rose shifted, her head lifting to see his face. Dante prayed he wasn't blushing; Rose would never let him live it down if he was. After a second, he realized he was staring at her lips, which were now raspberry colored. Flattering to her skin tone. Made her mouth look incredibly nice…

Dante sweat dropped.

_Should I…? _

_…_

_Is Rose closer to me? _

_…_

_What is she doing? _

_…_

_Why am I not moving? _

_…_

_What's going on?_

Dante felt her lips touch his. Feeling as if he'd pass out, he stood motionless, somewhat annoyed at his response…or lack thereof.

_Maybe I should. No, maybe I will._

Just another moment and he'd be-

SLAM.

_(Insert a long chain of curse words here)_

Rose jumped a mile out of her skin and darted to the doorway. Dante felt his face burn.

_Why must people always ruin the damn moment?_

"Hey guys!" Dante heard Rose chirp after a moment.

"Hi Rose," Trish's voice came, "we came by to return Patty to you."

Dante strode up behind Rose, Trish noticing the almost enraged expression on his face. She hid a smirk, knowing what she, Patty and Lady had interrupted.

_Once again, I am right._

"Did we interrupt something here?" Lady asked, her forefinger pointing first to Dante then Rose.

"What was you first hint?" Dante hissed, clearly not happy that another moment had been brutally interrupted.

"Trish told me you liked her."

There was an awkward silence, both Dante and Roseangelo's faces flushing incredible shades of scarlet.

_This is unbelievably uncomfortable, _Rose thought to herself and she heard Patty stifle a giggle, which only made it worse.

"You know, the sooner you both recognize your feelings—"

"Who wants hot chocolate?" Rose cut in frantically, "I have some peppermint hot cocoa and it should be delicious!"

"Oh! That sounds great!" Patty piped up and Rose dashed back into the kitchen, praying, Dante didn't notice how red her face was flushed.

_Just relax…chill out…it's all good!_

"Hey, Rose, can we talk?" Trish asked from behind her and Rose jumped.

"E-everything's fine! Nothing to worry about!" she automatically defended and Trish cocked her eyebrows.

"Yeah, I know. Let's go for a walk," Trish suggested and Rose cleared her throat.

"Certainly. One minute."

Rose prepared the peppermint hot chocolate and proceeded to carry the tray of mugs out to Dante's desk.

"Trish and I are going to go for a walk," she said and passed out the mugs. "I'll be back soon."

"Wait a second," Dante carefully protested, "you're going to leave me alone with_ her_?"

"With Lady? Yeah," Rose responded and Dante blinked over the rim of the green mug.

"She'll try to kill me!"

"Then can't you come with-?" Rose started but Trish cut her off, seizing her wrist.

"He'll be fine. Lady's got things to explain to him anyway. Let's go," she ordered and Rose obeyed, stepping out into the cold, crispy air with Trish, Rose's trench coat flowing around her ankles and her hands buried in her pockets.

"Erm-okay but Lady, play nice!"

"Yeah, yeah," Lady grumbled and the door slammed closed. The two women trekked down the cement stairs, Rose holding her head high, watching the dancing snowflakes drift from the sky as she kept in beat with Trish.

"S-so," Rose began, "what is there to tell me, Trish?"

"First, I need to know what you remember about yourself."

Rose bowed her head slightly, her curls swaying about her shoulders and shifted her shoulders as Trish waited for an answer.

"I know I'm an orphan...and a princess of some sort."

_Wow, that sounds self-important…_Rose thought.

"You are a princess...a priestess princess actually..." Trish informed and tapped her chin, Rose raising her eyebrows and focusing closely on her.

"How do you know this?"

"You'd be amazed at the things some demons will tell you when they're at your mercy."

Rose's eyebrows rose then fell, clearly impressed and Trish slicked her honey colored hair behind her ear.

"Everyone in the demon realm knows who I am, and yet, I don't."

"Go figure, right?" Trish shrugged and Rose mimicked the action.

"I found out from the demons that know of you-which are obnoxious numbers really-your true name is Alexandria Amarantha, daughter of-"

"Catherine and Dominic Amarantha," Rose/Alexandria flashed back.

She remembered vividly the creeping tentacles wrapping their way into the castle window, the bellows outside the walls, the fire...the scorching heat...all of it happened because…because why?

"Yeah. All I know is...you're pretty much a Helen of Troy. Men would go to war for you...or do go to war to win your hand."

"They want my power. That's it," Alexandria sighed, her white breath puffing out in front of her and Trish crossed her arms.

"Are you a rebellious princess or something?"

"No, I love the way my life is...I'm able to help more and influence more people."

"Then, just when it comes to suitors? You don't want to get married or something?"

"Of course not. I really want to get married, just not to some idiotic, spoiled man that is abusive to me and my family."

"Understandable. I can't name anyone that would want that."

Rose nodded and the two women continued down the road in a comfortable silence. A crisp breeze blew and Rose allowed her thoughts to wander about, none of them really leading to any sort of conclusion or logic. Trish lingered in the quiet, pressing her red lips together and then smiled devilishly.

"I think you're in love with him."

Rose snapped out of her trance.

"Huh?"

"Dante...I think you're in love with him. Or at least beginning to fall for him."

"That's crazy, Trish. I'm just very grateful for what he has done for me."

"Uh huh...yeah, not buying it."

"Well, you should," Rose stuck her tongue out and Trish shrugged.

"Not gonna happen, princess."

**Back at Devil May Cry...**

"Rose is a princess, huh? That's new," Dante stretched and recrossed his legs on his desk, Lady scowling at him. Patty remained on the couch, contently sipping the hot chocolate Rose had given her.

"Yes, _Alexandria_ is a princess. Therefore, you should stop treating her like a maid and respect her!"

"I don't treat her like a maid...she does all this on her own."

"Well, you have no respect for anyone but yourself, so, I feel obliged to remind you."

"Thanks Lady," Dante grumbled and slipped the magazine back over his face. Lady stalked over to him and knocked it off, almost flipping him over in the process. "What the hell-? What gives?"

Lady's red and blue eyes scolded him and Dante put his hands up, slightly fearing she'd reach for her gun next.

"You do realize you have to protect her, right? She needs you...well, no she doesn't...you best be grateful for what she does."

"I am grateful!"

"You better be."

"Good God Lady! I'm not abusing her! Sheesh. You're acting as if I keep this woman chained to her bed and use her as a slave. She can leave whenever she wants."

Dante trailed off, not liking how that idea of Rose/Alexandria leaving Devil May Cry sounded. It hurt in a way...

"I think you're in love with her," Lady voiced, taking a sip of her cocoa, and Dante shot his blue eyes up to her.

"'Scuse me?"

"Alexandria. You're in love with her."

"I am not! I…just…think she's nice."

Lady stared at him.

"Suuuuuuuuure. _That's_** all **it is."

"Shut up. It's not like that."

"You love her."

"Stop."

"Just admit it."

"I'm not going to admit anything, dammit."

"I know you...you're not typically like this and ever since she came, you've turned into a real softie...at least towards Alex."

"You gave her a nick name?"

"Seems so...now admit your feelings."

"Why the hell would I admit anything having to do with love to you?"

"I'm one of your only friends."

"…yeeeaaaaaahhhh…"

Lady sighed, seeing she wouldn't be able to convince the stubborn demon hunter to confess his feelings for Rose...not to her at least. Even so, she could tell he was in love with the princess, or at least on the brink of it. Six months wasn't a lot of time, but, spending every hour of every day around someone could either make two people loathe or fall in love with each other. And those two, sure as Lady was a woman, didn't hate each other.

"Whatever...but I know your view of her," Lady shrugged and Dante retrieved his magazine, deciding to drop the subject.

"Now what's with this whole protecting her thing?" he asked.

"She has had a lot of suitors come to claim her hand-and some might try and find her here-so, just be on the lookout. I personally don't trust anyone she has ever had contact with back in that country-not even her mother."

"Why not her mother?" Dante inquired, raising the magazine off his face, genuinely curious.

"Well, it's kind of complicated, but, I do see Catherine Amarantha doing whatever it took to ensure the well-being of her country."

"And that's a bad thing how?"

"I think the queen would be willing to lightly force her daughter into an unwanted marriage if it guaranteed the safety of her country."

"Lady, I highly doubt Catherine would jeopardize her daughter's safety and happiness for political gain."

"How do you know?"

"The way Rose talks about her. Just trust me on that okay?"

"What happened to her father?" Lady asked but the doors swung back open before Dante could answer her. Oblivious to the conversation, Rose half skipped into the warmth of the office followed by Trish.

"Hiya! We're back, and very grateful no one was shot in the head," Rose teased lightly and Lady flashed a smile.

"Just as requested," she grinned and Rose smiled wider.

"I'll be right back...I gotta change into some warmer clothes," she said and disappeared up the stairs.

"Yeah...you've got some serious hots for her, Dante," Lady concluded when she caught notice of the lost puppy dog stare Dante was giving Rose.

"Will you let that go already?"

"Not until you admit it."

"I'm not confessing anything to you."

Lady shrugged her shoulders, directing her attention back towards the television and resumed drinking the remains of her hot chocolate. Dante flipped the magazine over his face again and began to slip back into sleep, until he felt his senses perk.

_What is that?_

There was a low creak on the roof, followed by a steady but heavy breathing.

_Gotta do what ya gotta do, _Dante justified.

"I was hoping for some action today," the demon hunter exhaled, Lady and Trish both staring at him.

"What are you-?"

Dante ripped the magazine off his face, jumping to his feet, aiming Ivory up at the ceiling, firing along the roof. The three women on the couch jumped a mile into the air, and stared up at the gaping hole Dante shot through the roof.

"What the _hell _was _that _about?" Lady cried, placing a hand on her chest.

"Mmm…" was Dante's only response, his eyes surveying the roof top.

There was nothing there and the breathing and scuttling steps had disappeared. Funny thing was, there were no corpses or demonic screech either.

_Strange…_Dante thought, _I swear I heard something…_

"You know, I don't even want to know," Rose's voice came as she tossed her brown curls over the collar of her white sweater. Dante's thoughts wrecked as she re-entered the room, and his face flushed.

_Great. She probably thinks I'm even more of a wacko now…_

Rose studied the ceiling, then Dante, then the ceiling again before sighing.

"I'll be right back," she exhaled and Dante sweat dropped, watching as Rose disappeared momentarily.

Trish shot him a "What the hell?" kind of glare and within a moment, Rose had returned with a ladder, tarp, duct tape and nails.

"Uh, Rosie, are you sure you can fix that?" Patty asked nervously as Rose propped the ladder against the wall climbed up.

"I am perfectly capable of fixing everything Dante is perfectly capable of breaking," she said as she cut through the duct tape with her teeth before securing a piece of tarp over the hole.

Rose pressed the nails through the blue tarp, the duct tape used as back up and within a matter of minutes, she had finished the temporary fix.

"There we go," Rose muttered as she gave the fixture a once over, "we can call a professional in sometime this week."

Dante nodded stiffly, silent and Rose began to step back down the latter.

"Right then, now that settled-ACK!" Rose's foot slipped and she plunged towards the floor, Dante automatically stepping under her, his arms spread out to catch her. They crashed to the ground with a loud THUD, Lady, Trish and Patty rushing over to make sure the pair was okay.

"Oh wow..." Trish exhaled when she saw the postition Rose and Dante landed in, Lady covering Patty's eyes.

"Really you two, get a room."

"Shut up, I fell," Rose snapped, her hands on either side of Dante's head and she realized her lips were barely centimeters apart.

_Oh...this is awkward...what is pressing my...?_

"DANTE!"

"SORRY! THAT WAS AN ACCIDENT!" he defended, yanking his hand back and Rose's face flushed beet red.

"Yeah, sure," Lady scoffed.

"Suitors," Trish tossed her hair and Lady led Patty towards the front door.

"Come on Patty, let's leave these two alone," she lightly commanded and the blond giggled before departing with the two women.

"HEY! You're not funny!" Rose called as the door shut, the princess thinking she heard Trish call back "Have fun you two."

_I'll get back at them_, Rose thought bitterly and Dante shifted.

"Sorry," she said and stood up, walking over to the couch, Dante sitting up.

_You love her..._

"Err-Rose...?"

"Mmm?"

Dante stood, Rose's back facing him as she gathered the cocoa mugs together to take to the kitchen and he walked up behind her.

"What is it, Dante?" she asked, glancing at him over her shoulder, his bangs hanging over his eyes. "Dante, what's the matter?"

Rose set the cups back down, placing her hands on his shoulders, peering under the white locks into his distant eyes.

"Dante...?"

He didn't answer, the hazel eyes softening and he let his arms wrap themselves around her waist, as they had earlier.

_You love her…_

What was there to say? He couldn't deny it, nor could he really conclude he _loved _her. It was extremely confusing, and the more he thought of it, the more confusing it became.

"Dante?"

"It's nothing," he sighed, allowing himself to rest his head on her shoulder. "I'm fine."

Rose digressed, responding by stroking his hair.

_You love her..._

**Thank you again for reading and feed back. More to come soon. **


	8. Once Upon a Time

**Hello again! I'm here with the next installment of "Veiled Recollections" and I would love to thank GaarasMyBoyz and silvernightmoon17 for the reviews and favorites! Enjoy the next chapter! Just a quick A/N here...Rose's father remains the appearance of a young man in his 20s or early 30s as does her mother. Just so when you're reading and you're not "WTF?" **

_Once upon a time, in a tiny kingdom secure in the lush valley of majestic mountains, a brave and noble prince was born..._

"Is Alexandria asleep?" Dante asked as he walked through the front door and Patty nodded.

"Yeah, she fell asleep playing her game."

_His parents loved him very much and he made friends with all the servants. They taught him everything he knew and his parents watched over him carefully and lovingly while searching far and wide for a princess that was worth enough for their gentle son's hand in marriage when he came of age._

"I'll take her up to her room," Dante said and carefully picked up the sleeping brunette bridal style, Patty turning the volume down low on the television.

_The prince grew up rapidly and before the king and queen could even think about it, their beloved son had become a man and was ready to marry. He was wise beyond his years, very gentle and kind to his people and no one ever had a complaint about him for he addressed every problem brought to his family promptly and thoroughly. It was a time of peace and serenity, but the prince was restless. He had not yet found a woman he wanted to make his queen and wife when he inherited the throne._

Dante gently laid the princess on her bed, tucking her beneath the covers and she sighed, her dream continuing to flow in her unconcious mind.

_A few years passed by and the prince still had not found a wife, the king and queen both becoming frantic by this point. Not only was their son unhappy, a war between the Darkness and Light had broken out. Anxious to protect his people, the prince joined the war despite his parents' pleas and fought for the protection of not only his kingdom but the sake and well being of man kind. _

"Rose," the demon hunter breathed, caressing her sleeping face and she remained asleep, her eyebrows twitching every now and again as she dreamed on.

_He was a fierce and merciless fighter; he slaughtered any demon that threatened the peace he was aiming to bring to the world and he triumphed over Evil...at one point coming face to face with the Prince of Darkness..._

"Father..." Rose sighed and Dante touched her hand resting on her chest, stroking it gently.

_But he knew he wasn't strong enough to defend himself against Satan...he thought he was going to die there...at the hands of the Devil...never to see his wonderful kingdom or loving parents ever again..._

A tear slipped out of Rose's closed eye as Dante brushed it away, thinking he should leave her to sleep.

_Had it not been for him..._

"Save him..." Rose breathed in her sleep, the door clicking shut behind Dante as he descended the stairs.

_Sparda...he saved the prince's life without a second thought or even knowing who he was...Sparda fought again the Prince of Darkness and saved the prince's life...but the prince was never able to thank him, for he rode off and the prince was never able to praise the great warrior for his heroic deeds and bravery..._

_The war ended and years passed as the noble prince still searched for a wife, enjoying strolls out in the tiny town, continually visiting the citizens residing there..._

_"Good morning your Highness!"_

_"Good morning Lucy. How's Miss Catherine doing nowadays?" Dominic asked, the plump old woman bustling around, arranging the flowers sitting in clay pots and elegant vases. _

_"Oh, she's blossomed into a young flower...she's gotten to be rather beautiful, Prince Dominic. Are you still searching for a wife?"_

_"Mother! You're being so rude!" the young woman scolded, feeling uncomfortable and Dominic bowed as she stepped outside._

_"But she isn't lying, Miss Catherine," Dominic held his hand out to her and Catherine stared at it, not sure of what to do, "you have become lovely and yes, I am still searching for a wife."_

_Catherine's fair face blushed, her cheeks a deep shade of crimson and she felt her palms begin to feel wet._

_"Your Majesty is very kind...thank you," she murmured, not accustomed to compliments from the regular visitor and quickly turned around to arrange a basket or red roses._

_"Would your ladyship like to join me for a stroll around town?" Dominic asked and Catherine felt as if her heart would give out from it beating so rapidly._

_"That is all she talks about, Your Highness."_

_"MOTHER!"_

Yes...it was a cliche kind of love if you will...a peasant and prince falling so deeply in love...but that was how it was. Dominic had always adored walking to the humble shop full of vibrant flowers from the valleys within the kingdom and out of it...observing all the colors and chatting happily with the wonderful Lucy and seeing her husband Eric occasionally when he was back from long trips beyond the mountains. But most of all, Dominic loved talking to shy Catherine...they had become friends rather quickly...her shining, auburn curls and bright, hazel eyes always making his day much brighter and happier...he had come to love her rather quickly and she, returning the affections just as much. They married to everyone's delight, Catherine's family moving into the castle with her and after the king and queen stepped down from their positions, everyone welcomed Dominic as their king with open hearts. They were gentle rulers, wise and loving, caring and they were soon blessed with a child...Alexandria...

_"She is so cute!" Lucy exclaimed, picking her granddaughter up and hugging her tightly. _

_"Mother! Be careful!" Catherine laughed and Lucy gave Alexandria's brown curls a kiss. _

_"She looks so much like you, Catherine...your curls, your eyes..."_

_"She's got brown hair like Dominic though," the new queen said and handed her daughter a cookie._

_"Yum...Daddy?" Alexandria turned her large eyes up to her mother and Lucy swung her around, making the toddler giggle. _

_"He'll be home soon," Lucy said and set Alexandria back down on the floor. The toddler took a wobbling step then fell on her seat, feeling dizzy._

_"Spinning..." she said, totally dazed._

_The years went by and she grew, her father telling her of the time Sparda saved his life over and over, each time, the princess's reaction becoming more amazed. _

_"Sparda?" she asked again even though she knew the answer._

_"That's right. He's the reason I'm here now and why everyone is able to live in peace," Dominic said with a smile and his twelve year old daughter bowed her head._

_"Have you seen him since the war ended?"_

_"No, sadly, I haven't...but when I do, I am going to be sure to thank him for what he has done."_

_Alexandria bit her lower lip and scrambled off her father's lap, her lilac colored dress swaying around her ankles as she trotted over to her window and gazed out into the sun set._

_"HEY SPARDA! MY DAD SAYS THANK YOU FOR SAVING HIS LIFE ALL THAT TIME AGO! AND I'M GLAD YOU DID TOO BECAUSE I LOVE MY DAD VERY MUCH!" Alexandria's voice echoed off the mountains and she leaned back, gazing at her father with her large eyes. "Do you think he heard me?"_

_"I would be amazed if he didn't."_

_Alexandria beamed, seeming pleased with herself and Dominic shook his head, laughing._

They were a loving family and they ruled justly, Alexandria now idolizing the warrior Sparda and hoping to meet him one day. However...like all things, the happy times had to come to a temporary end. King Dominic had been pulled into another battle with a neighboring kingdom, their tyrant attempting to take over the small valley. The gentle king was killed but the battle was won, even so, no one felt joyful because of the loss of their kind and noble ruler...

_"Mother?" Alexandria asked, now almost sixteen and her weeping mother turned to her as everyone slowly left the funeral._

_"Yes?"_

_"Do you think Sparda tried to save Father again?" _

_The queen hugged her daughter tightly, the rain putting out the remaining sparks left on the funeral pyer and the young princess looked up into the grey sky, wondering if the hero did attempt to save her father._

More time passed and everything was peaceful but still sad. The queen raised her daughter with the help of closest friends, Mary and Joseph and yet again, neighboring kingdoms argued for who would win the princess's hand. Much like her father before her, Alexandria rejected the marriage proposals and refused to be taken away from her home and mother. When she wasn't avoiding the subject of marriage to some spoiled prince, Alexandria amused herself by teaching herself new techniques, mostly music or handiwork for something interesting. After seven years of turning away idiotic princes and nobles, war broke out yet again, tearing her away from her home, destroying her people and killing her mother.

_The vine-like tentacles...screaming...wait-not Mother! Don't kill her! PLEASE! NO! _

"MOTHER!" Rose shrieked and bolted up in her bed, drenched in sweat and tangled in the covers. The brunette panted, her eyes wide and she looked about her room, seeing she was safe and secure in the Devil May Cry office, the faint murmur of the television downstairs calming her. Rose pressed her palm against her forehead, pulling her knees up to her chest and breathing slowly, trying to calm the racing of her heart.

"It's okay...everything is okay..." Rose assured herself and perked her ears when the thumps of Dante's boots coming up the stairs sounded outside her door. Assuming he was going to bed, Rose swallowed to wet her dry throat and laid back down, trying not to remember the monster tentacles creeping through the window...

**One Week Later...**

"You know Rose, you're a natural," Dylan commented once Rose had (finally!) beaten Final Fantasy Seven and set the game controller back on top of the television.

"I guess so...it took me two months to finally beat this," she stuck her hands in her pockets and Dylan lowered his baseball cap over his green eyes.

"So, you doing anything after work?"

"Going home...why?"

"Well," Dylan hopped down from the front chair and shuffled over to the window, switching the "OPEN" sign to the "CLOSED", "I was wondering if you'd like to go out-"

"Hey Rose," the front door swung open and Dante walked inside the video game shop, Rose's face automatically lighting up.

"Hi Dante-sama! I was going to leave in a few minutes...I was just talking to my friend slash employer Dylan," Rose said and waved her hand over to the teenager, who smiled nervously.

_Why are all the cute ones always taken?_

Dante focused his eyes on the skinny teenager (who almost shuddered from the icy stare) and nodded curtly.

"Hey."

"Hi..."

Rose looked from Dylan to Dante and blinked then blew back her bangs.

"Dante-sama, you're so scary."

"Say what?"

"You're scaring poor Dylan with the whole evil glare."

"What? I'm not glaring! I just said hey."

Rose half closed her eyes and gave the hunter a poke in the stomach before shaking her head.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Dylan," Rose waved and he removed his baseball cap.

"Right...see ya Rose."

They left, Dylan staring after Rose as she walked down the street with Dante and slipped into the back room once he saw they had turned the corner and disappeared.

"You've been doing well, Dylan," a silky smooth voiced mused and Dylan's green eyes shone demonically.

"Are you sure that's the princess?"

"Yes, don't you remember her?" Mary's voice asked and Dylan removed his cap, his hair falling out around his shoulder, slowly transforming to black and his muscles became larger, the T-shirt ripping from the extending of his chest and a red, moon shaped scar carved over his right eye.

"So what do you want me to do?" he asked the servant, his voice much deeper and Mary dropped her old woman's mask, her white hair whipping out and flowing about her young hips, her sharp, blue eyes penetrating through the darkness.

"You know what to do," she said darkly and Dylan smirked, his arms going green and the tentacles creeping across the floor.

"Whatever you wish," he bowed and Mary smirked as she watched him depart.

**Flash to Dante and Rose...**

"What would you like me to make for dinner?" Rose asked as she and Dante made their way back home.

"Doesn't matter."

"Pizza?"

"Sounds good to me."

Rose giggled and stuck her hands in her jean pockets, stuffing the green cap into her back pocket and smiled as stars began to sprinkle across the twilight sky. She turned down an alley, half out of reality and she stopped walking, noticing Dante wasn't next to her anymore.

"Huh? Dante-sama?" Rose looked about her and saw he was nowhere in sight. The brunette pursed her lips, trekking back the way she came, trying to spot the white hair and red coat. "Dante?"

_Strange...he was just here..._

Not knowing what else to do, Rose headed back in the direction of Devil May Cry, worried but out of options. She quickened her pace, the feeling of someone watching her beginning to inch its way into her stomach and she clenched her fists.

"Dante!" Rose called out again, her voice shaking and she broke into a run, her senses sharpening.

_Something is following me...and it sure as hell isn't Dante...this wouldn't be a problem if I had a gun or something...!_

Rose sprinted down the road, gasping and she heard a creaking then the snapping of a branch but she didn't dare to stop. Brisk footsteps followed beside her amongst the trees and she skidded to a stop, frantically glancing about for sanctuary.

"D-Dante!"

_Shit...this isn't good...if I wait around any longer-_

Rose felt the ground vibrate before a deep growl came from in front of her and Rose focused her eyes on the black and gray demon baring it's yard long teeth at her.

_...that'll happen..._

"Oh snap..." Rose squeaked, backing up and the demon hissed like a panther, it's lion head baring its teeth. The body was one of a horse and the snake-like tail flicked about, saliva dripping off its yellow teeth, towering over Rose.

"Well...not like I didn't see it coming...now I run...fast and far away..." Rose thought to herself and turned on her heels before sprinting off down the street. "DANTE!"

The demon chased her, Rose running as fast as she could and skidded around the corner, pressing her back up against the alley wall, the horse/lion/snake demon pouncing past. The princess let out a quick sigh of relief and jogged down the alley way, hoping to find Dante in the process and heard a slimy crack behind her.

"Damn it..."

Vines crept up along the ground, the demon appearing in front of her, crouching and the lion's face seemed to be smiling. The vines wrapped around Rose's ankles and she stared in horror as she flashed back to the tenticles that killed her mother...

_Oh God...I'm next...someone...help me!_

"D-Dante...!" Rose gasped and the slimy vines continued to wrap up her legs towards her torso, "Sparda...! Sparda!"

Rose reached behind her, grabbing one of the tenticles and twisting it in her grip making the rest wriggle in slight pain and the demon controlling them stepped back. The lion face growled and Rose held tight to it's extension, twisting it to the point where it snapped and the demon shuddered.

_Damn...I'm screwed..._

The demon growled again and then pounced, Rose's eyes going wide and she shreiked, the sickening slice of someone being cut in half almost making her vomit. Rose opened her eyes, seeing a long blade plunged into the demon's chest and the vines withered away, the princess following the blade's handle back to meet Dante's eyes.

"I found you," he said, one arm wrapping around her waist and his other shaking slightly from the effort of holding Rebel up. The demon hissed, almost dead but refused to die until he had accomplished his goal.

"Dante-sama..."

"Now, if you'll excuse me your Highness, I have a demon to kill." Dante swung his blade, yanking it out of the torn body and he leaped forward, the demon pouncing forward.

"Dante-sama!" Rose cried as the horse/lion/snake demon jumped for Dante's throat and the demon hunter whipped his sword around.

"This is too easy," he muttered to himself, the demon screaming out as the blade separated the lion head from the horse body. Blood sprayed across Dante's face, the vines finally squirming and whithering away, Rose pressing up against the opposite wall, her knees weak.

"Oh...lord..." she gasped and Dante turned to her, shrugging.

"Too easy," he told her and she exhaled, relieved.

"Ahaha...right," Rose smiled and steadied herself, "let's go home."

Dante returned her smile as the two of them walked out of the alley and Rose eyed the blood caked on his clothes.

_Well, as long as none of it is his...then..._Rose reached beside her, intertwining her fingers between his and Dante turned his eyes down to their hands. He shrugged smally, Rose laying her head on his shoulder briefly and they continued homeward.

_Everything will be fine..._

**Meanwhile...**

"Damn them," Mary cursed as she surveyed Dylan's corpse laying at her feet and his blood soaking the ground. Her white hair flowed around her hips as she jumped up towards the roof, her arms reverting back to normal from the green tentacles and she glared at the shadows of Alexandria and Dante as they walked away.

"Don't think this is over yet_, princess_, this isn't over yet. I'm not done with you."

Mary hissed to herself and proceeded in running along to rooftops in the opposite direction of the two lovers and jumping from rooftop to rooftop as thunder rumbled above her.

_I'm not through with you yet..._

**YAY! FINALLY! A PLOT TWIST! :D I'm excited now...are you excited? REVIEWS! 2-3 PLEASE! :D**


	9. Blood Bath

**Thank You: Unknown, GaarasMyBoyzz, Tsukasa-kun and SpuerAntiHomie! And my friend Chris who I am now dragging into this cuteness...(this is a cute story right? Haha!) Enjoy!**

"What'll it be?" the bar tender grunted as Dante seated himself and crossed his arms over the counter top, his guitar case dropping down beside his seat.

"Strawberry sundae," the demon hunter answered flatly and the bar tender smirked, whipping the dish towel over his broad shoulder.

"We don't serve kids."

Dante rolled his icy blue eyes up to the ceiling, the scent of blood drifting through the enclosed atmosphere, mingling with the stenches of alcohol, cigarrete smoke and sweat. He kept his arrogent smirk hidden from view and drummed his fingers against the wooden top, his white bangs hanging over his eyes as they stared at his glove covered hand.

"That's a shame...I thought a sundae would sweeten things up in here...smells like something damn near died," Dante sighed and hoisted his guitar case over his muscular shoulder with the slightest ease.

"Eh? What was that buddy?" the bar tender grunted again and the half demon shrugged.

"Smells like something damn near died in here. Strawberry sundaes may help clear that up...and may bring in more customers," Dante said smoothly and strode over to the door, prepared to leave.

"Hey! Now wait a minute asshole...you don't just-!"

The angry manager advanced violently but stopped dead once Ivory's barrel was pressed right against his sweaty forehead and Dante's eyes gleamed demonically.

"Is that anyway to treat a customer?"

**Meanwhile...**

"Come on in Rosie! The water is so warm!" Patty called from the crystal blue waves and Rose rubbed the white sunscreen onto her pale stomach.

"I'm coming! One more minute!" she assured back, a bright smile glistening on her face and Trish sighed on the beach towel, dressed in her usual black top and pants despite the heat.

"It's so hot out today...damn..." the hunter grumbled and Rose's eyebrows cocked, her hazel eyes quizzical.

"Not really...only seventy or so. Why don't you come in and swim with Patty and me? It would be fun!" Rose practically sang and her smile stretched clear across her face.

"You know...you are too happy for your own good..." Trish sweat dropped and the princess's grin vanished.

"Er...sorry..."

Trish shrugged and tossed back her honey colored hair, leaning back on her hands.

"It's not a big deal. It's nice to see someone smile as much as you do...besides...it's what Dante loves about you," the blond mused and Rose's face flushed red.

"Dante-loves me-wait...what?"

"Okay...you're rather oblivious."

"I mean, I know he likes me or at least he did but we haven't kissed since..."

Rose's face became consumed in thought and she lowered her hands to her sides, tossing the sunscreen bottle back into the beach bag.

"I'm surprised you two haven't said anything to each other yet...regarding your feelings for each other. I'm getting rather bored just being a bystander...it's been-what?-another three months...? So, you've been here practically nine months and you haven't realized and or confessed your love for Dante?" Trish sighed and Rose fingered with her brown curls.

"Apparently you know I love Dante..." she breathed and Trish blew back a strand of hair.

"I still can't see why..." she teased and Rose bounced the beach ball off her head. "Hey!"

"Dante is rather sweet when you're not shooting bullets through his brain."

"I've told you-that's LADY that does that! I shock him with lightening!"

"That's no better!"

Trish smirked to herself as the princess continued to spaz and Patty tossed the water up into the air, making it looks as if rain was dancing around her. She giggled when her eyes met Rose flailing her arms about like a spaz and her already large eyes twice their usual size. Patty sighed, a smile still spread across her innocent face and her blond curls dripping the pure water as she waded around the crystal clear water, gazing at lingering fish no bigger than her pinky finger swimming around her ankles. Patty studied them all for a moment, the tiny, brown fish becoming accustomed to her toese wiggling in the gold sand and she giggled again as the sensation of mini fish lips kissing her feet tickled her.

"Well, there's another reason why Dante would love you...you're pretty much the only woman his age that is capable of hurting him and yet you don't," Trish exhaled and tossed her honey colored hair over her shoulder.

"At least not physically..." Rose sighed, sitting back down on her multicolored beach towel and pulled her white knees up to her chest.

"What do you mean by that?" Trish was almost panicked and the princess sighed, not wanting to answer and explain what had just occured to her.

"I'm a princess, Trish, and my country will need me. They're probably searching for me now as we speak...either the villagers or all those suitors-well, I could just get Dante to slaughter them off for me...I can't stand them-but even so...my people need a leader...and my mother and father are dead..." Rose closed her hazel eyes and Trish stared at her, unsure of what to say. She doubted anyone else had even considered the fact Rose would be needed back in her homeland...Dante especially...they had just gotten to used to her prescence...it was so difficult to think of the tender princess departing...almost heart shattering.

"Trish," Rose practically whispered, "I love him...I love Dante so much...but...I can't stay here forever...even though I want to more than anything...but my country will need me and I'll have no choice but to leave when someone finds me...it's just the way...the royal life is..."

Seeming oblivious to their conversation, Patty continued to observe the little fish dart about as she moved her foot to walk and then froze once she overheard "I can't stay here forever". The blond bowed her head even more, her bangs in her eyes so she could seem as if she couldn't hear the two women talking but Rose's realization burned at her with white hot intensity, the thoughts of her leaving seeming almost unbearable.

"But you can't leave Rosie..." Patty whispered so only the fish could hear her soft voice, "you can't leave..."

The water rippled lightly around her shins and the fish scurried away.

**Flash back over to Dante...**

"H-hold it there buddy-what the fuck ya whipping a gun out on me-?" the bar tender gruffed, his beady black eyes shining and sweat beads rolling down his gray, obese face as Dante glared icily at him.

"You threaten me, pal, and you have the nuts to tell me to calm down? You know, it bugs the crap out of me when people do that."

Dante cocked the gun, his icy blue eyes piercing through the dank bar, the manger trembling before him holding his pudgy, greasy hands up in surrender.

"O-okay, fine...shit...all this for a damn strawberry sundae..." he blubbered as Dante lowered Ivory and strapped it back into his coat.

"Don't try and jump me then you idiot," the half demon snarled and turned to walk out, following the sickening stench of blood and the manager spun back around, wiping the dripping sweat from his dirty forehead,

"No promises," he gruffed.

_Oh great..._

There was a snap and before Dante could even inhale his next breath, the bar tender roared and transformed into a bat-like demon with three eyes and vampire-like fangs dripping blood from it's mouth. Dante sighed, clearly expecting something like this to happen and he yanked Rebellion (I finally got the name right! Thank you GaarasMyBoyzz for pointing out that embarrassing mistake!) without a second's hesitation.

"Well, I was hoping to kill a demon or six today..."

They lunged for each other, Dante plunging the blade for the demon's chest but the bat dodged him, the foot long talons carving into the hunter's arm. Dante showed no sign of anguish and he whipped back around, aiming Ebony at the monster's head, firing endlessly as the bat screeched and sped toward him. Dante jumped up onto the nearest table, running and darting across the table tops, firing both Ebony and Ivory at the demon, striking it only a few times and crushing several (if not all) the glasses and wine bottles with the impact of the bullets. Dante dove behind the bar as the bat scratched at him and sliced through the delicate flesh in his cheek and Dante skidded across the hard wood floor, somewhat stunned.

"Dammit," he growled, more annoyed now than he had been when the bastard was in human form, "die, damn you."

"She won't stay with you forever," the bat sang randomly and Dante's eyes snapped wider as he aimed the twin calibers at his opposer.

"What the hell are you talking about?" he snapped, completely shocked.

"That girl...she won't...stay with you...much longer..." it cackled and Dante gritted his teeth before shooting at the demon endlessly, the bullets tearing through the flesh and blood spraying about the bar. Dante stood, triumphant and stepped over the torn body, it's head twitching as it turned to focus it's three eyes on him. "Not much-"

BLAM!

"Shut the hell up. You don't know what you're saying," Dante hissed before departing, leaving the corpse to rot in its own blood bath.

**Back at the beach...**

"Er-Rose-?"

"What is it Patty?" the brunette pulled herself from her depression and focused on her blond friend, who looked concered.

"There's something else in the-"

"Oh no..." Trish perked up and her finger tips grazed over her own twin hand guns as Rose's senses sharpened.

"Great."

Patty began screaming and sprinted out of the ocean as Trish readied her weapons, Rose being used as a sheild by Patty against the monsterous demon emerging from the blue abyss, as gigantic as a tsunami.

"Damn," Trish and Rose marveled cohersly and the princess tried to wiggle her wrists free from Patty's surprising iron grip.

_Something is telling me Dante just fought a demon just now too..._Rose thought and swore she felt her ear drum split as Trish fired her calibers, leaping into the air as the demon sprayed water at them all, causing Rose to swallow a gallon of it and gag.

"Annoying little turd," she glowered and shoved Patty aside and out of harm's way before taking off after Trish.

The she devil flipped through the air, shooting the water demon as much as she could, the bullets penetraing through the jelly-like surface and Rose dodged one of its massive arms when it attepted to crush her.

"Throw me a gun!" she called up to her friend, who frowned.

"Are you crazy?"

"Trish, I thought was established this a while ago."

Trish huffed a heavy sigh and then threw a gun to the princess, who weaved through the thrashing arms.

"Well, this is one way to melt body fat..." she pepped herself and continued threading through the blows the monser was attempting to give her as Patty shrieked for both Trish and Rose from the sidelines.

"What the hell are you doing?" Trish yelled and dropped to the ground as Rose jumped over one ghastly arm and skidded across the glassy sand.

"Stradigizing!"

"There's no time for that!" Trish screamed over the gun fires, "just shoot!"

Rose growled then stopped, weilding the gun around and shooting endlessly, trying to mimic Dante's professional style. Obviously, she was unable to do this very well and the demon hissed before wrapping one snake-like tentical around her arm, stopping at her elbow and flinging her aside. Rose shrieked, the demon's grip getting tighter to her horror, her entire arm from the elbow down going blue. Trish still fired, catching the gun that was spinning towards her out of Rose's grasp and she heard the princess crash into the water and Patty screamed. Beneath the surface, Rose fought to free herself, her lungs burning and screaming for air, the demon twisting her arm left and right.

_Dante..._she found herself praying, _Dante...help me! _

She was thrown up into the air, shrieks erupting out of her and she clawed the air before plunging back into the depths of the ocean, Trish unable to defeat it despite her efforts and it dove towards the fallen princess, Trish unable to follow for a few moments. Rose struggeled to the surface, not the most experianced swimmer and she gasped for breath, as helpess as a baby seal.

"Trish!" she coughed, "TRISH!"

"I'M COMING! I'M COMING!"

The demon hunter ran out into the water, re-loading her hand guns and the demon's arms yanked Rose back underneath the water, the princess fighting against the grip. It dragged her deeper and deeper into the ocean, her lungs ready to explode and she heard another splash then Rebellion whizz passed her, the blade barely missing her leg. The sword struck the demon's arm, the grip around the princess's torso loosening and she was able to wiggle free. Rose swam for the surface, desperate for air, but to her dismay, as soon as she broke through the surface, the demon made one last attempted to seize her ankle and drage her back under. Rose screamed and both Dante and Trish dove back under to retrieve her, Dante grabbing onto outstretched hands as Trish swam down to free Rebellion.

"Dante," Rose lipped, her fingers curled tight around his wrists and he inched closer to her, his lips brushing over hers.

_I love you, _he thought at Trish plunged the blade into the demon's arm holding onto Rose. It wriggled away and Dante started to pull them both to the surface until the demon's tenticale sliced through Rose's arm, severing it, blood gushing from her and she let out a scream, her hazel eyes wide. Trish darted through the water, trying to retrieve her and Dante was paralyzed as he watched her begin to sink, her other arm (still in tact) reached up towards him. Rose's eyes closed and she drifted down farther, Trish no longer able to hold her breath and she broke to the surface with Dante, both gasping for air.

"I'm going to get her. Get back to the beach with Patty...and take that," Dante shoved the bloody, severed arm at her and she let out a cry, shocked and grossed out.

Dante dove back down under the water just as Rose was about to disappear beneath the shadows and out of sight. He reached for the unconcious princess, a trail of scarlet following her and he grabbed her, pulling her up to the surface with supernatural speed.

"Rose!" he cried once they had broken through and he began swimming towards shallow water with her in his arms, "Rose!"

She was unresponsive and Dante's feet brushed shallow ground. He stood, carrying the broken woman bridal style and walked towards shore, Patty and Trish's worry striken eyes meeting his.

"I'm taking her to the hospital," he said numbly, his entire body shaking from the effort of trying not to cry, "I'm taking her-"

Dante gritted his teeth and held Rose closer to him, his back to Patty and Trish as he walked away as quickly as he could.

"It'll be okay Rose," Dante whispered to her, seeing the tears pouring from her closed eyes.

"Dan-te..." she groaned and coughed up water, her body trembling in fear, shock and pain.

"I'll make it go away..." Dante promised her and Trish and Patty followed close behind him, "it'll be okay...!"

"Rosie-! Rosie-! Don't die, okay? Just listen to us! You'll be fine," Patty was crying and Trish was silent, leading them to her car. Dante slid into the back seat, Rose still in his arms and he cradeled her, she still wimpering his name.

"Dante...it hurts..."

"I know...we're going to the hospital now...everything will be fine...I promise!"

"Don't...leave me..."

"I'm not, I'm right here-Trish!-"

"I'm going twenty miles over the speed limit...I'm working on it! Hang in there Rose!"

"Dante," her eyes opened and she gazed at him, the hazel orbs fogging, dying, "I...don't want...to...leave..." Her eyes closed again and Dante hugged her tightly.

_I love you, Dante. _

**I wanted to make it longer but i need sleep. So review. xD Thanks so much for reading and I promise Rose will be okay...maybe. Might make her...well, I dunno. 3 Reviews would make me update. And I know I screwed up a ton of medical stuff...but it's 3 am. And I'm to lazy to edit right now. xD **


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